Strength of Soul
by QueenOfTheUniverse
Summary: When the truth about Greg’s test tube DNA becomes known, Nick will need all the strength he can muster to keep him safe and protected, while Greg will need his own strength just to stay alive. And the strange truth, will surprise you. AU, NG.
1. Prologue

CSI: Strength of Soul: Prologue

A/N: This is purely AU in a fantasy world, though they are CSIs in Las Vegas. There will be angst aplenty. Horrible things will happen in the name of science and experiments, and no, I do not mean one of Grissom's experiments in the break room fridge. There is a large Kleenex WARNING, just for you, Stacy. At any rate, I know some of you have been expecting this story for a very long time. It's been almost a year since I had that dream where Greg was arrested and held in the Aquatic Correctional Facility, which gave me the idea for this, and I apologize for the long wait. I certainly didn't mean for this to take so long to get to.

This is dedicated to one of my best friends who has finally found the family he's always dreamed of having (even if he'll never read this). It is also my Christmas present to all of my wonderful fans cause I love you all so much! Please enjoy, and as always, let me know what you think.

* * *

_Let me sail, let me sail, let the Orinoco flow,  
Let me reach, let me beach on the shores of Tripoli.  
Let me sail, let me sail, let me crash upon your shore,  
Let me reach, let me beach far beyond the Yellow Sea.  
__..._

_From the North to the South, Ebudae into Khartoum,  
From the deep sea of Clouds to the island of the moon,  
Carry me on the waves to the land I've never been,  
Carry me on the waves to the lands I've never seen.  
__-Orinoco Flow _Enya

"I've got blood spatter over here on the left rear tire," Nick said, carefully bracing himself against the rear bumper of the blue car with his fingertips.

"Looks to me like arterial spray."

Nick nodded at Sophia's thoughts. "G, you got something for me?"

"Na. Nothing on the inside."

Greg poked his head out and Nick could have sworn he looked a little pale, but then, Greg was always a little pale. Greg was fine. He would have gone home already if he wasn't. Nick shook his head, pushed the thought out of his mind, and returned his concentration to the case they'd been working for the past seventy-two hours.

Grissom came around the side of the abandoned gas station. "We've got a body but no other evidence. Find me something."

"Well, that's going to be hard, Griss, with this scene. The other two had nothing either," Catherine spoke up.

A long silence followed as everyone continued looking for evidence.

"Nicky? Greg's voice sounded hoarse, breaking the stillness. "I don't feel so good."

Nick's head snapped up in time to see Greg's body shake before he began to fall. Nick moved just in time for him to collapse into his arms.

"Greg? Greg!"

"Can't breathe, Nicky..." Greg looked up at him imploringly.

"Damn it Greg! Someone get me a gallon of water from the back of our SUV!"

Catherine ran for the car.

"Water won't help if he can't breathe," someone informed him.

Nick lowered Greg to the ground and cradled his head in his lap.

"What's with all the empty gallons?"

"How many?"

"Only these two were left out of about twelve, I'd guess."

"Oh God... Greg... we need to get you home." Nick took the gallon Catherine offered. "Open up."

"You want a glass?" Sophia asked.

He helped Greg raise his head and held the water so he could gulp it down. In a matter of minutes he'd downed the whole thing while their coworkers stared.

"No."

"More Nicky, please..." Greg begged. He grabbed the last gallon. "Just pour it on..."

He didn't ask questions as he uncapped it and poured the water over Greg's face and body. Greg sighed in relief that was short lived as a gut wrenching whimper escaped his lips. Nick pulled Greg's latex gloves off and then his own, before picking up the younger man.

"Come on, I'll drive." Sophia headed toward her Dodge Charger. "Watch them until I get back," she commanded the other officers at the scene. "If ANYTHING happens... I want to know about it."

"No, Sophia. I've got this," Nick tried.

"Get in. I'm driving. I'll alert the hospital on the way."

He piled into the backseat but when she started up the engine he gripped her shoulder.

"I'll give you directions, but promise me you won't tell anyone! Please!"

"He needs a hospital, Nick."

"You've got to trust me on this. The hospital can't help him. They won't know what to do."

"What the hell do you mean?"

"Please!"

"Alright, fine." She started her sirens wailing, and pulled out of the lot, following Nick's directions. "Nick, I'm letting you know I don't like this."

"I know."

* * *

Turning off the main road they rumbled along a narrow dirt road for a long while. Nick counted the seconds until they finally came to a stop at a secluded lake setting, surrounded by thick trees, keeping it well hidden from the road and any prying eyes. In front of them was a small, sandy beach.

Nick got out of the Charger with Greg in his arms, carrying him to the water's edge and setting him down on the wet sand..

"You know I'm really pissed off at you for this, right?" He made a point to look into Greg's eyes.

"I know," Greg gasped. "I'm sorry."

"You'd better be. I don't like being scared to death."

Nick made quick work of getting him out of his clothes and into the water.

"Thank you, Nicky," Greg breathed before turning his face into the water and letting it cover him.

Nick watched as his legs twisted together and morphed into one long thick muscle which quickly replaced his human skin with green scales and a filmy tail. Gills formed on either side of his torso, moving quickly to help him heal. Within moments, Greg was gone, swimming toward the bottom of the lake where Nick knew his family waited for him.

He needed to be with Greg, to hold him while he healed, both to comfort himself as well as Greg. He also needed to ream Greg out a little more for scaring him to death. Trying to calm his nerves, he picked up Greg's clothes, which had had the moisture pulled from them by his water thirsty body. He methodically began to fold them, taking care to make them look perfect, as if they were still brand new, sitting on the store shelves. Moving the cover off a nearby hollowed out square rock, he set the clothes inside and slid the cover back into place.

A hand on his shoulder startled him and he spun around to face Sophia.

"Holy shit, Sophia! I coulda killed you if I was armed!"

"But you weren't. And I could have easily disarmed you before you fired."

No matter what she said, Nick still felt weak in the knees after everything that had happened.

"Sit down, sit down. You look like you're about to keel over." Sophia laid a firm hand on his shoulder and pushed him toward the sand at his feet.

He went willingly and she sat beside him, getting wet sand on her dress pants, but not seeming to care.

"Wanna tell me what's going on?"

Nick froze.

"Care to explain what Greg's doing here at a lake when he should be at a hospital? Why he's still under water when he should be needing air about now?" She ducked her head so she could look up into his face.

Nick shook his head, his need to protect Greg and his family overwhelming, even if Greg's family still didn't trust him. He would earn their trust any way he could.

"I'm sorry, Sophia. I can't. I love him and to tell you that... it could jeopardize his life. You know I would never do that."

"It's too late for that, Nick. I'm not entirely sure what I saw, but I know it was something strange. Now, unless you want me to start investigating this, possibly asking the right questions to the wrong people, I suggest you start talking."

A lump formed in his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "I love him. I can't betray his trust in me, the trust he put in me when he told me the truth."

"Nick?"

He lifted his head, unaware he'd been staring at the sand.

"I promise I'm not going to tell anyone. But wouldn't it be better to have someone else on your side?"

Nick looked out over the expanse of water and imagined Greg safely swimming in an ocean where no one could harm him, where his family didn't have to be afraid and skeptical of humans. Tears pricked at his eyes like spike strips tearing into fresh tires. Her point made sense, but at the same time, trust issues abounded on all sides.

"Hey, remember, I defended your team against my own supervisor once. As long as nothing illegal is going on here, I'll back you one hundred percent and I won't say a word. I promise."

He remembered that dark time when the graveyard shift had been split up. True, he liked working for Catherine, but it hadn't been the same and he'd missed seeing Greg something fierce. Sophia had always been true to her word before. Always. And she was a good cop who knew how to play the political game. Having her on their side, if anything were to happen, would be for the best. But, he couldn't just spill the beans without Greg's permission. This was too big, too personal, for both of them.

"Nick?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. Look, take some time to think it over. Talk to Greg when he's feeling better."

Her words reminded Nick of another dark time in his life, a time when he'd been scared for a different reason, "I thought he was cheating on me." Nick didn't even realize he'd spoken until Sophia asked him why. Why did he think Greg, his beloved, sweet boyfriend had been cheating on him?

He looked up at her, but couldn't even make out the shape of her body, his eyes were so blurry from his tears, though they had yet to run.

The answer fell out of his mouth, unbidden. Knowing this, scared him too, but he couldn't stop the word flow, no matter how much he wanted to. "He kept leaving. Even after he moved in with me. He'd be gone for too many unexplained hours. He wouldn't give me a straight answer. I thought I'd done something wrong, you know, to make him not want me anymore."

Sophia watched him, listening with careful attention. Her eyes refused to betray her emotions. He looked away, stared at the sand again.

"I followed him early one morning after work." His stomach twisted in harsh knots, the same as it had that morning, before dawn, wondering what he would do when he saw the man Greg was cheating on him with...

_He wasn't sure he wanted proof that Greg had another life with someone else as he drove. He half debated turning around and ignoring all the classic signs Greg was throwing at him, day in and day out. _

_He was surprised when Greg's car pulled up to a lake. Realizing he had something so romantic planned with someone else, brought a harsh ache into Nick's chest. He hadn't been prepared for that. It was a little easier to accept when it was only about sex, especially when Greg could have been forced into it. His stomach churned at that thought, threatening to bring up the last thing he'd eaten. He would protect Greg no matter what, even if it was the last thing he did. _

_However, he was unprepared for the sight of Greg stripping out of his clothes, stowing them in some kind of hollowed out rock, and diving into the water from the beach. Alone._

_He was so sure another man waited for him in the dark waters, or would be joining him shortly, that he scanned the waters and surrounding area, looking for the man who'd taken his boyfriend away from him. _

_After a few minutes, when he forced himself to accept the fact that the area was deserted, he began to worry that Greg had been without air for too long. Before his worries had time to take control of him, Greg's head broke the surface of the serene lake in the moon glow, whipping around to let droplets of water fly away._

_Greg seemed so much more alive in the water, than he'd been earlier. He could feel the energy bouncing off him in waves, even from his distance. As he dove back under, a long green tail flicked out lazily behind him, almost slapping the water as it followed him underwater._

_Nick could do nothing but stare, wondering if some strange fish had a mind for attacking humans. Attacking Greg. Worry claimed him again, the longer Greg stayed under. He bit his lip and debated calling the police for a rescue squad, but the truth was, he didn't even know where he was. He'd followed Greg for nearly an hour to get here, and he hadn't seen a road sign or a placard with the lake's name on it. He couldn't call for help. Right now, he was the only help Greg would get. _

_He began to take his own clothes off when a wet head came up. His shirt was half unbuttoned. _

"_Nick?" His boyfriend's eyes were wide. _

_Nick couldn't speak. He opened his mouth, but no words would come out._

"_Nicky? What are you doing here?" Greg's voice trembled with each uttered word._

_His hand went to his mouth as tears filled his eyes. Forgotten was his worry over Greg's well being. Greg was just fine. His hands were trembling and then he could see Greg's blurry form struggling to crawl over the sand toward him. Struggling? Why would Greg have to...? Before he knew what was happening, the hard, sandy, wet beach was rising up to meet him and his ass landed hard. _

"_I'm sorry if I offend you." Greg was quiet, nearer now._

_Offend?_

"_I love you so much. You have no idea what you've done for me. I didn't want to scare you off, to loose you because..."_

"_Wait... what?" Nick was confused and heartbroken, and he still couldn't see clearly through his tears. "Scare me off? Loose me?" Nick buried his head in his arms. "I don't know if I want to know his name or not. Actually, no, I'd rather not. I'd better go."_

_But Nick couldn't move. A hand cupped his face and brought it up to Greg's. Two thumbs wiped his tears away. _

"_I would never, ever cheat on you. I didn't mean that at all. Open your eyes, babe."_

_Nick saw something flick in the sand, from the corner of his eye. Greg let his face go and he would have thought it was to give him a better view if it hadn't been for the quickness of his hands, as if he were trying to get away from him, to protect himself from a possible attack._

_He looked, following Greg's gaze down the length of his own body. Nick finally saw, but he couldn't believe it. Greg was human. But gills graced his body on either side of his torso. He had two legs. Nick had seen them before. Everyone had. So then, what was this giant fish tail affixed to his boyfriend's lower torso? The green scales flapped in the sand and he suddenly knew why he'd had to struggle earlier. _

"_I need a lot of water," Greg explained. "The longer I stay in my human form, the longer I need to spend out here swimming, re-hydrating my body. You can hate me all you want. I was afraid to tell you because I didn't know how you'd react."_

_A long silence filled the air between them. Overhead, a large black bird, blending in with the clinging darkness, swooped low and caught a screaming mouse in it's beak. Gentle waves brushed the shore as if soothing it awake after a nightmare._

"_Nick? Say something. Please? I'm sorry I lied. But I have a family to protect and they're not appreciative of my relationship with you."_

"_Family?" Nick's head was spinning._

"_No husband. No kids, Nicky. I meant my grandparents, aunts, uncles. I feel like I was meant for you. I couldn't sleep with someone else even if I tried."_

"_What are you saying?_"

"_Obviously, I'm not entirely human. Neither is anyone in my family. And humans have hurt us before. They're cautious and I didn't want to scare you off. I still love you. I always will. But if you find me a freak now that you know... I understand. Just say the word and I'll go. You'll never have to see me again."_

_Nick stared, beginning to feel faint. "Explain this non-human stuff. You have legs..." his voice came out as an embarrassing squeak._

"_It's the cause of a weird genetic code in my DNA. I can transform at will." Greg closed his eyes and Nick watched as his gills were replaced by perfectly smooth skin and his fish tail turned back into his familiar legs. "Only when I'm seriously dehydrated am I stuck in a form."_

_Deep chocolate eyes searched his face as a slightly webbed hand hesitated in the air before caressing his cheek. His legs had transformed back into his merman's tail and the gills were moving fast, anxious to get back into the water._

"_I have to go, Nick. I need water before I pass out. Take time to think about it. Feel free to stay here as long as you need. But if you need to escape, I won't blame you."_

_Soft lips brushed against his own before Greg was gone, diving back under the surface of the calm lake._

_Nick didn't move. Couldn't move. Over and over again Greg's hand, webbed up to the mid-joints, held his face and their lips brushed together, creating the most beautiful painting. _

_

* * *

  
_

"_You're still here," a gentle voice reached his ears and his eyes lifted to meet Greg's as he sat down in front of Nick crossing his legs Indian style._

"_Of course... I... I haven't... no time to.... to think..."_

"_Nicky, the sun is setting. You've been here all day."_

"_I have?" He looked around to find that Greg was right. The sun's rays were lengthening in the sky and the air was cooling. _

"_At least you didn't run away," Greg said with a hesitant smile playing on his features._

_Nick cleared his throat before finding his boyfriend again. "I... I was prepared for another man. Not... not this..."_

"_You're still in shock. It's ok, you know. I can understand."_

"_I love you," Nick blurted. He covered his mouth with remarkable speed, his eyes growing wide at the grin on Greg's face. Then his hands fell into his lap, and his eyes followed their fall. "I don't think I can change that," he said quietly. _

"_I know I can't."_

"_I don't think I want to..."_

A slap of water spraying onto the beach brought Nick's attention back to the situation at hand and he stopped talking. Several yards from the shore he could see a man Greg had explained was his uncle Jonas. The man's hair was white, slicked back on his head and dripping water. His arms were crossed as he stared at Nick with a glare in his eyes. Moments later he was gone, back down to the depths of the lake where Greg was getting his rest.

"They still don't trust me. It's been a few years since I started dating Greg. I just possibly saved his life, and they still hate me."

Nick let his head fall into his hands.

"Why would they hate you?" Sophia asked, her tone quiet and gentle.

"They won't say. Greg doesn't know very much, but he says humans have hurt them before. And those old enough to have been alive when they did, are very much afraid and wary of humans. They don't like it that Greg's dating me. They think I'm going to hurt him somehow. Maybe that I'm going to tell the wrong people about them."

"I won't tell a soul. You've got my word on that, Nick. I promise."

"So, you're not... you're not freaked out?" Too afraid to see the real emotions on her face he kept his eyes locked on the water where Greg's uncle had been.

"Truthfully? I think I am." Now Nick looked at her, surprised that her voice was still so calm, though she wasn't backing away from him, and she didn't look freaked out. "But now things are starting to make sense. He's always talked about the water, surfing and diving. He's crazy about it. And when I try to picture what you told me, I think I can. I think I can see him as a merman, and it suits him. Sure I'm freaked out. I've never met a merman before. Never seen one. Never believed that it was possible for them to exist. I hated Disney movies when I was little."

"Me too." Nick laughed a little, feeling relieved.

"You had a good reaction when he told you. You were skeptical but you didn't run away, you didn't let judgements cloud your thoughts. And you're still with him. That, alone, means a lot to me. I think I can get through this in a similar way." Sophia chuckled. "Minus all the kissing and declarations of love, of course."

Nick smiled. "Of course."

"Come on, you have a scene to process and there's not much you can do here. He's in good hands. I'm sure his family knows how to take care of him just fine."

"But this is the worst things have ever gotten with him. He's always good about letting me know when he needs to come home. I just don't know why he didn't this time." Nick shook his head.

"Nick, he's working hard at the lab. He's still the youngest in the group, still trying to find a place to fit in. He still catches flack for being under experienced and this is a huge case. The harder he works on this case, the closer he gets to possibly breaking it. You know, as well as I do, what that would mean for him and his career."

"Yeah," Nick's shoulders sagged, as if under a huge weight. "You're right."

"Just make sure to tell him when you see him again not to put his career before his own health ever again. If he does, I'll come after him with a pitch fork and it won't be a happy ending."

Nick raised his head. "Why would you...?"

"You're about to start tormenting yourself because you can't be with him right now. I don't want to have to see you go through this again. He's a good friend and coworker to me too. If he's down, it affects all of us, whether you see it or not."

She was right. Of course she was. Catherine was probably pacing the crime scene right then, waiting for a phone call to tell her that Greg would be just fine. Grissom would still be processing the scene, but Nick knew he'd be worried too. He always worried about his team's well-being when someone's life was in jeopardy.

"We've got to come up with a plausible cover story, Nick. Let's get this sand brushed off you and get back on the road. The sooner we're back there, the sooner we can calm everyone's fears."


	2. Chapter 1

CSI: Strength of Soul: Chapter 1

"Greg, don't you ever scare the shit out of me like that ever again," Nick admonished, treading lake water, both hands on the back of Greg's neck, their eyes locked together. "I don't care where we are or what we're doing. If you need to come home, you tell me. Got it? Please don't make me go through that again."

Greg's fingers caressed his face and he pressed a soft kiss to his lips without losing eye contact. "I promise." He kissed him again. "Seeing that look on your face... I didn't mean to do that to you."

"It's alright. You're ok, and that's all that matters."

"Still, I'm sorry."

"Sophia knows."

"Knows what? That we came all the way out here instead of going to a hospital?"

"Everything."

Greg rested his forehead on Nick's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his neck and his tail around his waist.

"Shit."

Putting a hand on Greg's back, Nick spoke, "It's ok, actually."

"How can it be ok, Nicky?"

"She's fine with it. A little surprised, as you can well imagine, but other than that... she's ok with it. Promised not to tell anyone. Oh, and she wanted me to tell you that if you ever put your career before your personal health again she's gonna come after you with a pitchfork and it won't be a pleasant ending." Nick chuckled, forcing Greg off his shoulder.

"That doesn't sound like something you should be laughing at. I thought you loved me? Now you want to see me die by a pitchfork?" Greg feigned a hurt expression on his face. "Where would she find one around here anyway? It's not like this is farm country."

"I think that was the point, G."

Not too far away, high pitched giggling caught Nick's ear. Reluctantly he broke his gaze with Greg and turned to catch three merchildren staring at them before they ducked behind a large outcropping of rocks nearby.

"They're staring and laughing at us. Why?"

"Not us, babe. You."

"Me?"

"You're human. I mean, you have two legs and they don't. They don't understand walking or treading water."

"They don't?"

"It'll take a few years, perhaps, for them to gain the ability to transform, like it did for me. We don't know. And they are a generation or two away from those born in the lab. Thus, they've had no chemicals mixed in their system before or after birth, so... they might be merpeople forever and always, never knowing what it's like to walk."

"Lab? That's the first time you've mentioned that."

Greg's gaze fell to the water between them.

"Tell me about it." Nick kept his voice low and gentle, coaxing an answer out of him.

"I really don't know much," Greg admitted. "The older members of my family were born in a lab. They don't know what for. But my grandfather thinks the people in charge were experimenting, trying to make a better human or something. He said they were always sick a lot but the people only gave them shots that made them feel worse." Greg paused. "I was the first to be born naturally and that almost didn't happen. You'll have to ask the lab who my father is. My mother escaped when she was pregnant with me. She died in childbirth six months later."

"I'm so sorry, G." Nick pulled him closer and rested his chin on Greg's shoulder. "Why didn't you ever tell me any of this before?"

"I don't know. I don't know yet how I feel about it after all these years. And I didn't want you digging into this, looking for answers."

"You were afraid I'd attract unwanted attention?"

"Yeah. And you might come back with answers I don't like. It's possible I never had a father. I probably did come from a test tube."

"Awww, baby, I'll still love you. I don't care where you came from." Nick squeezed him tight before letting him go. He gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead and then his lips, savoring the sweet taste of his boyfriend.

A grunt sounded nearby, followed by several tails slapping water as the spying children dove under the calm surface. An older merwoman was poking her head above water, and after reprimanding the children, had turned her scowling gaze upon Greg and Nick.

"They still don't like me, do they?"

The woman made a quick duck underneath and was gone.

"You saved my life. They're grateful. But they still think you're out to hurt me in the long run just because you're human."

"They should know I won't hurt you." He ran a thumb along Greg's jaw line. "I got the deed to the lake and the surrounding land."

Greg's eyes went wide and glassy. Nick grinned, his heart rate accelerating at the look on his lover's face.

"You did?!" Greg was excited as much as he was reverent about it.

His face had dried out in the sun, but when he reached out to grasp Nick in a tight hug the older CSI could feel salty drops landing on his bare shoulder.

"Thank you, Nicky. Oh my God, thank you... that's the best thing anyone's ever done for me."

"If it'll help protect you and your family... I'll do anything." Nick locked eyes with him again once he'd pulled away.

Greg was suddenly sober, no longer excited at Nick's happy news. "My grandfather says these people who hurt us... they won't stop hunting us down until they've recaptured all of us, including those like me who never knew them, who were born after my grandparents escaped." His happiness returned in a small smile. "Freedom Lake will become a reality. You know they've been calling it that for years, even though we're still hunted. It's not even the lake's real name."

"Well, that's the name I put on the official documents. But it'll take awhile before the name makes it to all the Vegas area maps."

"It is?"

"I've got a guy coming next week to put up 'private property' signs at the border. That's two miles out from the lake in every direction, remember? And I gave our house plans to the contractor. You still want it by the beach? You've got the whole lake..."

"I want it right there." Greg pointed towards the shore, not far from the hollowed out rock. "But are you sure we can swing all this?"

"I'm sure. We did the math ten times, remember? I double checked with the bank and the lawyer... and city hall. We're good to go."

"But are you sure you want to? This is an awful lot, and they don't even like you."

Nick sighed, "G, I wasn't gonna do this now, with the stress of recent events... but there's something I need to know."

"No, I don't know if all this will earn their trust in you."

"That's not what I wanted to know."

"It's not? Come on, Nick, you've already given me everything I could ever want."

"Everything? And are you sure I was gonna give you something to begin with?"

"How could there be..."

"Would you marry me if I asked?"

Greg blinked. "Nicky..." He was breathless.

"I didn't want to overwhelm you and I wanted to wait until the necklaces were finished."

"Necklaces?"

Nick took one of his partially webbed hands in his. "You can't wear a ring in the water, so I'm having a jeweler make chokers so they can't get snagged or slip off when we swim. Yours will have an 'N' in a western type font. Mine's got a 'G' in a crazy rock star font."

More tears slipped down Greg's face. "You do think of everything, don't you?"

"I want to promise myself to you, if you'll have me."

"Yes, yes, yes. There's no doubt in my mind!"

Their lips fused together in a long kiss, Nick was loath to pull away from. If he'd had things his way, he would stay wrapped up with Greg forever, completely ignoring the rest of the world, enjoying the feel of Greg's tail rubbing his legs and curling around his waist. He wanted his happiness, their happiness, to take over everything, but he couldn't let it. Sadly, he forced himself to let Greg go.

"Honey, you need to go home and get some rest."

"No, Nick..." Greg began to whine.

"Because you weren't admitted to the hospital you should be seen at work tonight."

Greg flung his arms around Nick's neck. "I need you, I don't want you to leave. Please, Nicky..."

Carefully, he pulled Greg from around him and looked into his sad eyes. "You need to build your strength up. I'll be back around ten with clothes and your hair gel. Ok?"

Sullenly, Greg nodded.

"Now, go home and tell your family the happy news."

"Can we wait to tell them until the necklaces are done? And can you be there? I feel like you should be there."

Nick smiled. "I think so too. Yes, I want to be there with you. I don't want them to think I'm stealing you away from them."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Anything for you, G. Now, go get some rest." Nick moved closer and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too."

Leaving him with one last kiss, Nick climbed out of the water and up onto the beach where he dried himself off with the waiting towel. As he opened the rear door to their SUV he could feel Greg's eyes still on him and knew Greg wasn't going to duck back under the water until he was gone from sight. Quickly, he changed into fresh, clean, dry clothes, and got into the driver's seat.

Sitting there, he watched Greg in the water, watching him. A small tear broke into his heart. Leaving Greg at the lake to sleep alone at home was one of the hardest things Nick had ever had to do.

Making quick plans to call the contractor to get the house built as fast as possible, he turned in his seat and carefully backed the vehicle down the narrow dirt road.

* * *

Nick relaxed on the couch. The dishes were washed and dried, the floors mopped and vacuumed, the kitchen and bathroom sparkled with cleanliness, and the laundry was in the dryer. His eyes drooped shut, but his body was still too keyed up to agree to sleep, even if it was after noon already.

Unable to reach the contractor the day before, he got up to call again to see about getting the build date moved up. Before he reached the refrigerator where the phone number was pinned with a magnate, he spied the empty coffee pot. When Greg was home, the pot was never empty. Seeing it now, only compounded the fact that he'd be sleeping alone again today.

Licking his dry lips he remembered just how papery Greg's had been when they'd said goodbye in their driveway, Greg headed to the lake in his Jetta, Nick headed inside the house to clean. He moved to make a fresh pot of coffee and prayed Greg would be able to rehydrate himself faster this time. As he turned the machine on, the phone began to ring.

He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Nicky?" It was Greg, and his level of distress was evident in his shaky, hoarse voice.

"I'm here. What's going on, G? Are you ok?"

"Thirsty. Help me. Please."

"Where are you?" Nick began to panic, his heart rate increasing quickly. "Why aren't you at the lake?"

"Cocain." Greg sounded awful, like his throat was scratchy.

"Someone drugged you?"

"No. Fake charges." His breathing came in short gasps. "In jail. Bad cops... can't breathe, Nicky..."

He wrenched open the cupboard underneath the sink and began pulling out empty plastic gallon jugs.

"I'm coming G. Packing gallons as we speak."

"Nicky..." the voice on the other end came out as a half croak, half sob, begging him to hurry.

"I'm coming... I'm coming." As Nick talked, keeping Greg calm, he rushed the water out to their SUV in the driveway.

On his last trip, he barely remembered to make sure he had his wallet and keys before locking up, leaving every light blazing throughout the house. He drove wildly, weaving in and out of traffic, while telling Greg to breathe slower so he could conserve energy and water.

* * *

"We have water here, you know," Brass said to Nick out in the police station parking lot.

"I know. It's just a knee-jerk reaction to bring it with me. I'm so used to it, and he needs so much. Look, Brass, it'll just be easier, right now, if we do it this way." Nick moved to take two gallons of water off the hood of the SUV.

"You know I can't allow you in with that water, Nick." Brass blocked his path, his arms spread out. "I mean, come on, he was pulled over for speeding and when he seemed out of it they did a search. Found cocaine in his trunk. Now, what am I supposed to think? The yearly physical hasn't happened yet. I know he was clean last year..."

"He's ALWAYS been clean, Jim. You know he wouldn't use."

Replace the parking lot with an interrogation room and Nick would have sworn he was a suspect in a case.

"But it's been known to happen. Good cops go bad all the time. That goes for CSIs too. And what am I supposed to think? You live together, you're boyfriends. How do I know you don't have drugs in that water?"

"Jim, please," Nick pleaded, feeling more scared than he ever had before. "He has a medical condition. You have to let me see him."

"He never said anything about a medical condition. It's not in his file."

"He doesn't want to advertise it to the world."

"Fine. Fine. He's in a holding cell. Come on. But leave the water."

* * *

When they got to Greg, tears pricked at Nick's eyes and it was only by some miracle he was able to hold them back and swallow the growing lump in his throat. The younger man was so pale he was sure he could see his bones through his dry skin and he was trembling as if his body was trying to morph into his merman form to help him gain more moisture. He was gasping for breath, sprawled out on the cell floor.

"Greg?!"

"Nicky...?" his voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm here, G. I'm right here. You're going to be ok." He rounded on Brass. "Get him some water! He'll die! Please don't let him die!"

"What I want to know is why you didn't get him to a hospital already?" Sophia appeared with a large bucket of water, shouldering her way through the throng of gawking cops. "He needs a lot of water in order to survive. A lot more than you or me." She tossed the water through the bars and onto Greg's dry body.

A happy sound escaped his lips for a moment. But that was all.

"I mean, there's no way you could know that, but you must have known something was wrong? I know you're not as dumb as I'd like to call you right now."

"He needs to be in water!" Nick waved his arms in front of Brass. "Don't you see that?! Why won't you do something?"

"My hands are tied, Nick. We've got government people coming who've requested that I not even go near him. Technically, Sophia shouldn't even be tossing water at him like that. Look Nick, I can see what he needs, and I want to give it to him. I really do. It's hard watching this. But there's nothing I can do."

"Government people... government people... what government people?"

"If I knew, I'd tell ya. But their clearances come from high up. Not even I can question them. He's also not allowed to have visitors, so I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. I'll give you two minutes to say goodbye. Sophia will be here to escort you out."

Brass walked away and the officers followed him at his suggestion.

Nick mentally put on his brave face and approached the bars. He fell to his knees, one palm resting on a bar to keep him steady, wishing they were not in his way.

"I love you," Greg spoke in a hoarse whisper. Nick could barely understand him. "But don't tell them that."

His breathing hitched and then it stopped all together. He locked eyes with Nick for many agonizing seconds before his chest finally rose with a flood of air into his lungs. Nick loosened the tight hold he had on the bars separating them, taking in several deep breaths himself as if his own lungs had stopped working for the same few moments Greg's had.

"Don't give them ammunition," Greg continued when he could speak again.

"I won't, G. I promise I'll get you out of here as soon as I can."

"I trust you."

"Nick, you have to go." He didn't take his eyes off Greg as Sophia spoke.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, G. I love you too."

Steeling himself to walk away from his boyfriend just when he needed him the most, Nick's jaw clenched and his teeth grated together. Greg's eyes never left him as he walked back down the passage way, even when he began coughing.

"Want to tell me what's going on?" Sophia asked once they were out in the empty hallway far from listening ears.

"Some trumped up drug charge. He didn't stay in the water long enough after he collapsed at work. Because we didn't admit him to the hospital, he had to go to work last night to appear normal. You know? So, he was headed back to the lake early this morning, needing a lot more water than normal. That's when he got arrested. He called me from here. I got here as fast as I could. Brass wouldn't let me in with the water I brought."

"Drug charge?"

"Cocain."

"How did that happen? There must be someone on the inside."

"Inside?"

"Someone who knows what he is. Otherwise, why stick him with a drug charge? What would be the point? Someone wanted him. And they wanted him in a bad way."

Just then Nick caught sight of two identical men in dark, pressed suits, dark, balding hair, and white sterile gloves. Captain Brass stepped out of his office to meet them. Nick's body was already taught from the recent strain, but his hands began to tremble when the men turned their piercing blue eyes to stare at him as they followed Brass down the hall. They walked in an even step together, first the right leg, then the left. Nick shivered at the sight.

Sophia held an arm out, holding him back. The one closest to Nick locked eyes with him, pinning him to the spot, and didn't let him go until he'd disappeared into the cell block where Greg was being kept. She grabbed his arm and pulled his struggling body into an empty interrogation room.

"Nick, let them take him. They're government and there's nothing you can do about it. Besides, they might know how to help him."

"For sure they know how to kill him." Nick was still trembling and trying to get away from her mean grip. "They're wearing sterile gloves like he's a monster, like they'll catch some deadly disease from him. I have to get to him. Let me go!"

"No!" Sophia slammed the door shut in his face, forcing him to watch through the small, square window as the first of the two identical men emerged from lock up. His wide piercing blue eyes caught sight of Nick and found their way into his soul. He was instantly sure the man knew his position in Greg's life and that he knew Greg wasn't all human.

The man turned away from him and Nick saw the stretcher between the two men. Greg was lying on his back, eyes closed, clothing rumpled, but dry. He looked more at ease, relaxed, and that made Nick somewhat happy, if only a tiny bit. He couldn't be sure if he was breathing or not, and that worried him.

The second man came into view and his eyes also locked on Nick's, through the glass. He gripped Sophia's hand and sucked in a breath. This one knew everything there was to know about him. He was sure about it.

With Greg unmoving between them they walked almost calmly, still in sync with each other, down the hall toward the front door.

"Why aren't they moving faster? His life's in danger!" Nick put his hand on the door knob and wrenched it open, intent on chasing them down.

Sophia pulled him back just as Brass made an appearance in the doorway, his fingers on Nick's chest, pushing him inside. His mouth was set in a grim line and his forehead was creased in worry. He shut the door.

"Nick, what the hell is going on?"

Nick shook his head.

With a fierce grip on his arm again, Sophia spun him around to face her. "You need to tell him the truth."

"I..."

"Tell him."

"Sophia..."

"For Greg's safety and well being. If you want him back... alive, I suggest you tell the team. You can't go at this alone."

"The team?" He couldn't tell them. He'd already risked so much by telling Sophia. There was just no way of knowing how they'd react. No. He couldn't do it.

"You need to tell them. They'll support you, and Greg. I know they will."

Nick was shaking his head again.

"Nick, tell me this," she started a new topic. "What would you do if it meant you could get Greg back safe and sound? How far would you go?"

"I would do anything. I would go as far as I had to."

"I rest my case."

When he realized she'd backed him into a corner he lowered his head in guilt and acknowledged that she was probably right.

"Someone want to clue me in here?" Brass finally asked. "You know I hate being out of the loop."

* * *

A/N: For instant updates on new chapters and stories join my wiki at www(dot)queenoftheuniverse(dot)wetpaint(dot)com.


	3. Chapter 2

CSI: Strength of Soul: Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I was suddenly in the right mood to finish a bunch of one shots I'd been working on for a long time. So, it felt good to get a lot of stuff done. Then, I got a request for a happy story for Only True Love's birthday next week. If you haven't read _Don't Cry Daddy-O_ the sequel to _Don't Cry Daddy_, you'd better go do so! The humor and happiness, despite the sad times, will certainly surprise you! Heck, it surprised me too! With that said, here's chapter two. Please read and enjoy! I promise the next update won't take so long.

* * *

"I can't believe you told her first before you told us," Catherine said.

"Well, I kinda forced it out of him," Sophia defended.

Nick was weak with relief, holding onto her arm to keep himself steady on his feet. "This can't go beyond this room," he pleaded, looking carefully at leach face in the lab's break room. "Please don't treat him like a science experiment."

"Dear God, Nicky! What makes you think we'd ever do that?" Sara shook her head.

"He's one of our own. So he happens to be an expert swimmer with an ability to stay underwater forever. That's just an added bonus to the Greg we already know and love so much. Don't ever think us so shallow." Catherine reached a hand out and rubbed his arm. "We love you guys. You're our family." She pulled him into a hug. "We'll do everything we can to get him back. I promise."

"Thank you, Catherine, thank you so much."

"You don't have to thank me, Nick. It's part of my job description."

He smiled a wan smile.

"Well, what have you two got to say?" Sophia glanced between Grissom and Brass who was on his cell phone.

"I want to know who would be so cruel as to experiment on humans like that. They think they're advancing mankind, when in fact, they're doing the opposite by their actions alone."

Sophia nodded and turned to Brass who covered his phone with his hand.

"Hey, this is Vegas. And we are talking about Sanders." Brass mumbled a thank you into his phone and flipped it shut. "Ok, I've got some good news and some bad news."

"What have you got?" Grissom sat up in his chair and leaned forward.

"The two cops, Dale and Eirny, who arrested Greg seem to have disappeared after they brought Greg in. No one can find them anywhere and they're not answering their cell phones or radios. Dispatch had to read me the report Dale wrote up about the incident. It was only slightly more detailed than what I heard earlier. Apparently, Greg was swerving all over the road when they pulled him over. When they got him out of the car he couldn't stand up straight. That's when they searched his car and found the cocain, supposedly.

"I shoulda driven him! Why didn't I?" Nick's head fell into his empty hands.

"Where's the drug now?" Grissom asked.

"In evidence."

"I'm on it." Catherine was out the door before anyone could say a word.

"What's the good news?" Nick was afraid to ask, but he had to know. "Please tell me you might know where those guys took Greg."

"I'm working on it, yes. I think I've got an idea, but it'll take some time to dig up answers."

"Let's reconvene in my office in one hour," the graveyard CSI supervisor suggested. "You and I, Nick, can go over our other case."

Nick groaned, but got up to follow his boss. Having a distraction might be a good thing, though he doubted much would be able to take his mind off his now missing fiancé.

* * *

Going over evidence he'd processed ten times before, all with the same results, made Nick antsy and itching to get out of the lab, to start a manhunt for Greg, even if he had to do it alone.

"Hey man, can I talk to you?"

Nick looked up at the familiar voice to see Warrick leaning against the doorframe.

"Go," was all Grissom said.

Nick stood up, his joints popping, and followed his friend and coworker to the break room.

"I'm sorry I haven't been here much recently," Warrick began as soon as they were seated. He pushed a cup of Greg's fresh brewed Blue Hawaiian coffee into Nick's fidgeting hands.

He sighed into his first sip.

"My problems with Tina are getting in the way of everything else. I'm grateful for the time off to recoup after the divorce, but from what I've been hearing, you need me right now. So spill. How are things going?"

"Fine. Fine. Everything's fine," Nick lied with as much ease as possible.

"Nick."

He stared into his coffee cup at the warning tone.

"Catherine told you, didn't she?" It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, some of it. Some creepy fed guys got Greg on a cocain charge which we all know is bull. He wouldn't use."

"I asked him to marry me," the words slipped out of Nick's mouth before he'd had time to think about it.

"Who? Greg?" Warrick asked, obviously caught off guard by the statement.

"No. The Pope."

"Nick, I'm sorry. What did he say?"

The severe bruising kiss of excitement and happiness came back to him and the look in Greg's eyes, that most beautiful gaze... "He said yes," Nick whispered.

"Congratulations, man. I know, for a fact, you two have what it takes to last, unlike Tina and me."

"But he's not here, Rick. And I'm afraid... I'm afraid I might lose him just after I got him."

Nick looked up briefly and realized Warrick's hands were empty. He'd only made one cup of the precious coffee, his intentions clear, the way it had been waiting for them to arrive. Greg wouldn't kill him for this one cup, but perhaps for finding his hidden stash instead. And maybe he wouldn't even then, since he'd found it for Nick. He started to smile before the pain of recent events returned.

"Don't worry. We'll get him back. Though, I'm still wondering what the Feds are doing with a small time drug bust. But, anyway, Catherine said there was something else you needed to tell me. Something, more important than the exchange of rings?"

"Necklaces."

"What?"

"Necklaces. I got chokers instead of rings. In the water... when he swims... his fingers are webbed, so he can't wear a ring."

"Wait... what?" Warrick's forehead creased in confusion and a possible slight worry over Nick's sanity since Greg's disappearance.

"Greg's not entirely human. Which is why they took him."

"I'm confused."

Nick raised his head when the door opened and Sophia walked in. She closed the door behind her.

Warrick turned in his seat. "You know all about Greg, don't you?" he asked when she looked right at Nick.

"Did Brass find something?" Nick clutched his nearly untouched coffee as if it were a life preserver, his last link to Greg.

"He did."

Nick froze.

"You can go see him, but he's still being held for the cocain charge." She quirked an eyebrow. "Apparently, he's not the only criminal merman out there because they call the place the Aquatic Containment Facility." She snorted. "Brass is still fuming because no one told him about its existence."

"Is he ok? Did they get him into water?"

"From what I know, that's a 'yes' to both."

Warrick looked back and forth between them. "What the hell's going on?" he asked.

"I need to see Greg." Nick jumped to his feet, leaving the coffee on the table.

Warrick followed him out into the hall ahead of Sophia only to stop short when Nick ran into Catherine and Grissom. Sara joined them seconds later.

"We're coming with you."

Nick nodded and allowed Sophia to lead him to her car. Brass was already waiting in the parking lot.

"How on earth can I not know about this place? How can there possibly be that many criminal merpeople that I don't know about?" He stopped his ranting and looked carefully at each of the team members and Sophia before his pointed gaze landed on Nick. "None of you are... a... are you?"

"It's not a bad thing," Nick whispered, trying to keep control over his emotions.

"So, Greg's... he's... he's a merman?" Warrick asked, still confused by the whole situation.

All at once people began talking.

"Nick! You mean you didn't tell him?"

"Oh God, how do I put this?"

"He's not human. That's all there is to it."

"I get that much. But what I don't get is..."

"He's a merman Warrick."

"What?"

With his nerves already fraying with worry, Nick ducked out of the group and got into Sophia's car without a word. The driver's side door opened and she got in with him. Closing the door after her, she didn't say a word. Nor did she start the engine.

"I'm glad the cops are missing," Nick said as he stared out the window, purposefully keeping his eyes away from her.

"Why do you say that?"

Outside the car he could still hear everyone else talking. No one seemed to notice his departure, or that the blonde detective had joined him.

"You said it had to be someone in the department who knew what he was." He paused for a moment, unsure how to continue. "You were... you were the only person who knew... besides me. I didn't want you to be that person who'd sold us out."

Finally, he glanced toward her to see her reaction. She placed a hand on his arm.

"I can see how you would come to that conclusion." She sighed. "And I wish it wasn't so easy a conclusion to come to. Just remember that I promised I wouldn't tell."

"I know. And I'm sorry for ever doubting you."

"You don't have to apologize, Nick. I would actually expect it of you. I know I would be doubting me if I were in your shoes."

Sophia looked into her rearview mirror at the group huddled behind her Charger and gave her horn a long loud honk. She grinned a little when everyone jumped and quickly scattered.

"What do you say we blow this place and go see Greg?" she asked, turning the key and revving the engine.

"Please."

She peeled out of the lot while everyone stood and stared at her, surprise etched on their faces.

* * *

The building was a government issue gray with old factory smoke stacks rising from the rooftop like rusted daggers piercing the sky. Though they no longer belched steam and smoke, they had been rather clingy in their heyday, and it appeared they still were.

The crowd of night shift CSIs and two detectives surged forward as a wave might crash a shore. But it left one member behind.

Nick stared, unable to swallow the lump of coal lodged in his throat, filling his mouth with a foul taste. The thought that this horrid place was where they'd taken Greg, brought fresh waves of fear into his heart.

Humans had died here, years ago, in a horrific accident with machinery. Animals had perished too. By the thousands. A meat packing plant. That's what it had been.

A cold chill seeped into his skin and deep down into his bones.

A smooth, warm hand slipped into his and pulled him forward.

Inside, after showing their ID badges and handing over their standard issue guns, they passed through metal detectors. The women were asked to prove their bras had under wires when the detectors went off, before they were allowed out of the beige colored room.

The guards did their tasks without comment, though they kept their eyes on the CSIs as if they were foreign to them.

Large tumblers filled the next room with white noise. The sound of an engine. But when Nick looked, he realized it was the water filters on several large fish tanks, nearly the size of the whole room. No, not fish tanks. Merpeople tanks. He forced his hand out of the one holding it, and hugged himself, as if he could keep the inner chill at bay.

"So, you're all here to see prisoner number 163336," a guard said, tapping his pencil against the clipboard in his hand. "Alright, he's down this way. Follow me. But don't touch anything. That's rule number one around here."

"His name's Greg," Nick found himself correcting the big, burly man in his tan uniform.

"Around here, he's got a number. It's easier that way."

Nick's heart wrenched. It was wrong. So wrong.

"If he ever gets out, then you can call him Greg all you want."

The man seemed to be sneering at him and he couldn't help but take it personally.

Walking down a narrow hallway Nick's coworkers stared at the large tanks of water on either side. The one on the left contained young mermaids and older merwomen. They didn't seem to notice the men ogling them as they passed by. The tank on the right contained merboys and mermen, swimming along like nothing in the world mattered, their eyes soulless and staring.

Nick scrutinized each one, looking for his fiancé...long hair, dark hair, short hair, black eyes, green eyes... No one was tall and lanky with long fingers, beautiful chocolate eyes and curly brown hair, and none had a tail the exact shade of green as Greg's. Each one had a number tattooed on his or her wrist. He knew Greg was adverse to having even one because they'd discussed it over a victim's body that had been covered in them once.

"Ah, here we are. Number 163336."

Nick hurried to the front of the group.

"I don't know why you would want to see him since you can't communicate with him."

"Why not?" someone asked, and it sounded like Sara, but Nick wasn't sure.

"Why can't you bring him out?"

"He's too dehydrated and he's a criminal. We can't just let him loose."

Nick stepped up to the glass to see Greg. He looked frightened seeing the team there. But once Nick moved into his view, relief flooded his face. His fingers formed the letter N and he bumped his upper left arm. It was the name Greg had given him in sign language, and he'd been told it symbolized his strength, though Greg had assured him it meant more than just a physical sense of the word.

Nick's right hand formed the letter G and moved wildly out from his head. Greg's family had given him the sign after his hair. It figured. He moved the G to his biceps and bumped it against his arm, like Greg had with his N.

Greg shook his head and pointed to the team and swam closer to the glass separating them. He pressed his hands against it, showing Nick his prison, his partially webbed fingers splayed out for everyone to see.

Several gasps came from behind him.

"We'll get you out of here, I promise," Nick signed, relieved to see that both of his inner wrists were clean.

"Wow... what's going on here?" Catherine turned to Grissom.

Greg looked at them, staring at his merman form, fear filling his eyes again.

"They know... I told them before we came. They're still your friends."

Somewhere behind him, Nick could hear their boss translating his conversation for everyone else. He told Greg what he was doing.

"He looks surprised," Greg signed. "You're very fluent."

"You are," Gil confirmed. "I'm assuming Greg taught you?" he signed as he spoke so all could understand him.

"He did."

"Very good."

"Hey, someone tell Greg that of course we're still his friends. This changes nothing," Catherine spoke up.

"Totally." Warrick's single word of agreement seemed sure, but his eyes kept wavering over the rest of the tanks, as he took in the other merpeople and tried to make sense of it all.

Grissom told the youngest CSI what they'd said.

Greg nodded, but his eyes were wide in disbelief. He turned to Nick and rolled a finger down his cheek from his right eye before giving both signs for happy and sad. He was feeling a mixture of things and the team's visit and support was causing tears.

If only Nick could break the barrier between them he'd have him in his arms in a second. Less than. But he couldn't. At least the fear was slowly dissipating from his features.

Greg hugged himself as he shivered in the cold water and Nick was sure he could see goose bumps covering his bare skin.

"Are they treating you ok?" he signed. He had to know. He had to make sure.

"I'm ok. But I didn't do it. You know I wouldn't, Nick."

"I know."

Sophia stepped forward and caught Nick's attention. "Tell him I'm glad he looks better than he did at the station."

Greg thanked her after reading his fiance's translation.

Grissom then told him they were working on the case but it wasn't getting far.

"Do you remember what the two officers looked like?"

Greg shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"Visiting time's up, people," a gruff voice met them. "You need to get out of here now."

Turning, they saw a man with short, dirty blonde hair, and a permanent sneer pasted to his face. His sharp blue eyes looked them over, clearly telling them he wanted them gone, and would have preferred if they never came back. He wore a clean, crisp suit and walked towards them with several security guards behind him, each carrying a visible weapon.

A shiver ran up Nick's spine.

Grissom turned back to Greg and signed to him, "We'll get you out of here, we promise."

Greg's eyes slid to Nick's as his fiancé pointed to himself, tugged on a lock of his hair, and finally pointed to Greg.

The merman gave a slight smile before creating a Y with his right hand and moving it back and forth between himself and Nick, signaling that he felt the same way.

The others nodded, and waved as they filed past.

This wasn't at all like leaving Greg at the lake with his family. He hated the glass separating them and he wasn't sure he could leave him there. Greg said they were treating him ok, but the other merpeople were not acting normal. Nick remembered members of Greg's family watching them interact together on the beach, remembered the children giggling and the older woman yelling at them to get away. They had personalities. They acted out. These merpeople did nothing.

A light, friendly hand on his back kept him moving in the direction of the front door when he didn't think he could get there on his own.

When they reached their Denalis back out in the parking lot, Grissom turned to ask him what he'd signed to Greg just before they'd left. He felt his face growing hot and found it difficult to explain.

"It has to do with the necklaces you told me about, doesn't it?" Warrick asked.

"Necklaces? What necklaces?" Sara piped up.

Nick struggled to hold the tears back as he explained about Greg's webbed fingers.

"He can't wear a ring in the water... so I got chokers instead."

"You two were good with PDAs. I always wondered how you could work together and not be more obvious. Tugging hair instead of kissing or saying anything, who's idea was that?"

Nick looked up at Warrick. "How did you..."

"I have eyes man. Besides, wasn't the point of that just in case anyone did see you?"

"Yeah... it was. And it... it just sort of happened. I don't know."

"Ok, let me get this straight," Catherine spoke up. "That's your version of a PDA? And chokers are your version of an engagement ring, or wedding ring?"

"Yeah, that's about right."

"I take it he said yes?"

"You actually got up the nerve to ask him to marry you?"

Nick swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah. And yeah."

"You did?" Sophia sounded surprised, but happy all the same. "Good for you! Congratulations!"

"We'll figure this thing out and get him out of there."

"Speaking of which..." Brass spoke for the first time in a long while. "Nick, you didn't happen to know or recognize the other people there? Did you?"

"The merpeople? No."

"Look, let's just get back to the lab and get this sorted out. This feels like much more than a cocain charge to me and I want to get to the bottom of it," Grissom said, moving toward the driver's side of his Denali. "And I certainly don't want to do it here."

"I agree." Brass got into his Charger.

The rest of the CSIs got in with Grissom and Nick joined Sophia in her own Charger.

"I have to tell his family what happened. They'll wonder when he doesn't come home. I don't want them to worry."

"We'll go straight there. Then we'll head back to the lab." Sophia picked up her radio. "Detective Curtis to Captain Brass."

"Go ahead."

"Nick and I are taking a detour. We'll catch up with you guys later."

"Do you need company?"

"No!" Nick exclaimed out of nowhere. "No, please. I know they know about Greg, and I know they're ok with it, but I still need to protect his family. They still don't like me, I don't need their distrust to get any worse."

"No, thanks, Brass. We'll be fine."

Sophia put the radio handset back and turned off the main road.

* * *

Once at the lake, Nick left Sophia in the car and sat down near the edge of the water. Without Greg there with him, he wouldn't enter his family's domain alone because of their animosity toward him. He didn't know how long he would have to wait until someone noticed him sitting there, but thankfully, it wasn't long before a head popped up through the gently lapping waves of the changing tide.

Long straight silver hair accompanied the head, and Nick thought she reminded him of Greg's description of his grandmother, even though he'd never met her before.

She moved slowly toward the beach, but didn't get out of the water. She stopped a few feet away from him.

"Greg's not here," she said, her voice sounding rusty, as if she hadn't used it in years.

"I know," he said, hesitantly. "I need to tell you what happened."

She didn't look surprised by his words, but her calculating stare alerted him to the fact that she was sizing him up, trying to determine whether or not he could be trusted to tell the truth.

"Well? Explain."

Nick told her everything, from the moment Greg left their house to return to the lake up to the moment he'd said goodbye to his fiancé at the Aquatic Containment Facility.

She gave a quick nod when he finished, apparently satisfied that he'd told the truth. "Thank you for telling me," she said and ducked under the water.

"I'm so sorry," he said to no one, tears streaming down his face.

* * *

A/N: By the way, if you've ever worn an under wire bra into a prison when visiting, you'll know that the guards will ask you to prove that's the reason the detectors are going off. Personal experience from a class trip, is what made me put that into this piece. (We were visiting the prison library, if you want to know. Not sure I'd have the guts to be a prison librarian, though I wish I did.)

And, of course, don't forget to join my wiki if you want automatic updates anytime I post a new chapter or story! www(dot)queenoftheuniverse(dot)wetpaint(dot)com.


	4. Chapter 3

CSI: Strength of Soul: Chapter 3

Nick moved quickly through the lab, Sophia having headed back to the station. He was stopped, however, when Hodges stepped out in front of him in the hallway, blocking his path.

"So I heard Sanders got arrested," he said in his typical snotty tone. "What did your innocent pretty boy do to deserve that? Did he move over to the dark side like I predicted he would years ago?"

The upset fiance's arm came up automatically, as if to strike him, before he thought better of it, and let it go.

"Just shut the fuck up." He left his voice low, "You don't know anything."

"Hey, man, is everything alright?" Bobby asked, sticking his head out of his lab door.

Nick shook his head, holding back his emotions to the best of his abilities. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"Is there anything we can do?" Archie asked, appearing from his own lab to stand near him.

"No. Just get back to work... but thanks... for your concern."

"What is this? Are we having a Nick pity-party here?"

Both techs shot Hodges nasty looks seconds before Mandy grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

Without another word, Nick continued on his way. He found Catherine and Grissom in the supervisor's office.

"News?"

They looked up when he barged in.

"The prints from the cocaine bag all came back as Greg's."

Nick's face fell. "No. No, that's impossible."

"If they made him hold it, sure."

"Anything else? Tell me we've got more than that!"

"We do." Warrick strolled in with Sara hot on his heels. "We did some digging into this Aquatic Containment Facility place and things look a little odd. Large amounts of money have been diverted to this place for years but it's not on the books. The money leaves one agency without a destination. The same amount arrives at the ACF with nothing to say where it came from. And believe me, it was a bitch to even find the existence of the ACF in the first place. I felt like I had to dig all the way to China."

"That's not good."

"We're still looking into those tattoos, but we've found no evidence as to what they mean or refer to. I haven't seen them anywhere else but on their arms. There's no records anywhere."

"Tell Brass what you found. I don't like the sound of this."

"Right."

A cell phone began to ring.

Nick could only pray this wasn't the same horrible place Greg's family had escaped from over thirty years ago.

"Uh... Nick? You gonna answer that?"

Nick blinked and realized it was his cell phone that was ringing. He didn't bother to check the caller's name before answering.

"Hello?"

"Yes, hi. Is this Nick Stokes?"

"Yes?" Oddly, he found everyone in the room staring at him.

"Oh, good. This is Lipmann Jewelers. I just wanted to let you know your order is ready for you to pick up."

He wondered why the jeweler's voice sounded funny, almost like it was echoing through the phone somehow. "Thanks. I'll... I'll be right in."

"Do you want me to pick those up for you?" Warrick asked.

"Huh?"

"Your phone was on speaker."

"Shit."

"Don't swear man. Look, I really don't mind."

"No. I want to see Greg."

"Are you sure they'll let you back in again so soon? Visiting hours are over, remember?"

"I NEED to. Ok?"

"Sure. Sure. Of course."

"And I need to see his family."

"Greg has family?"

Nick sat down, hard, in the vacant chair beside Catherine. How could he have been so dumb as to say that out loud? He trusted them... but even they couldn't know everything. He stared at the floor, without realizing he was doing so.

"Yeah, he's got family. I can't talk about it though. They're not trusting of humans."

"Except you."

"They think I'm taking him away from them and that I'm endangering his life on purpose. For a long time they would never even come near me. His grandmother talked to me for the first time today. I've got to protect them. I can't let them get harmed. Maybe then they'll understand that I'm not here to hurt him."

"They should love you."

"They're damn lucky Greg found you and not someone else."

A slightly strained silence filled the room. Were they lucky? Nick supposed so, though he didn't like to think of it that way. Fate brought them together, not luck. And he thanked fate every day that he'd found the perfect man who returned his love just as much, if not more. With fate, it wasn't like either of them had a choice in who they fell in love with. Not that he was complaining. There was more leeway with luck. But then, on the other hand, Greg's family kind of came with him. Just like to them, he kind of came with Greg from the other side. They were stuck with Greg just like he was...

"You need a ride to the jewelry store?" Warrick broke into his thoughts and he realized he was thinking too hard over something that really didn't matter.

Nick blinked and cleared the mist from his eyes.

"No. I'll be fine."

"Don't worry. We'll keep digging and see what else we can come up with."

"Thanks guys. I appreciate it... you not freaking out. It means a lot."

* * *

Knowing he couldn't bring the chokers into the Containment Facility, Nick stopped at the lake first. Sitting on the beach he brought out Greg's silver choker. On either side of the N on the front were his birth stones. On the back, he read the inscription: _"To be yours forever has always been my dream. Thank you for fulfilling it. With all my love, Nick"_. A crystal tear drop fell, unannounced, and landed on the sparkling silver. Carefully, he wiped it away with his thumb.

"I wish I could ask for your blessing... but I know I can't. I know you won't give it. All the same, I wish I could. For Greg. I would do anything for him. I love him so much. I just wish you could see that."

More tears clouded his eyes until he could no longer see the silver in his hands.

A splash of water nearby brought Nick's head up. Wiping the emotions from his eyes he saw Greg's grandmother in the shallows.

"Have you learned anything new? Obviously you haven't brought my grandson back yet." She was frowning, and while her voice was still scratchy, it sounded better than it had earlier, as if she'd been practicing.

"The ACF is looking real shady."

"Why are you here and not getting him back?"

"I wanted to... I wanted to ask a favor of you."

"What?"

"I... I asked him to marry me."

"You did what?"

"I know you don't approve. And while I wish you could see how happy he is, I won't force you to."

"What's the favor already?"

"I would ask if you could keep an eye on these." He held up the silver in his hands. "His wedding gift... or engagement..."

"I know about your human customs."

"If I leave them in the rock... would you make sure they stay there until I bring him back?"

"Do you mean for him to wear that all the time?"

"It would mean a lot to me if he did."

"Why would you trust us with such a thing?"

"Because if I trust you, maybe someday you'll be able to trust me. I don't know how else to prove my love for him to you. I don't know how else to make you believe I would never hurt him. And I don't want them to find out we're engaged. If they do... they might... I'm afraid they might use it against him. Against us. All of us. I have this gut feeling they're not playing by the traditional rules. If they were, we would have known about their existence and Greg never would have been caught with drugs he doesn't use."

"Answer me this: which is more important to you, Greg's life, or these trinkets?"

Nick stared at her for a brief moment before he answered. "Greg's life is more important to me than anything else in the entire world."

She nodded. "Fine."

Nick carefully set the jewelry back into their boxes. He lifted the stone lid, but paused before setting the boxes inside.

"I'm going to do my best to make sure they don't find you."

"You don't owe us anything."

"Yes, I do. You're his family. I'd be letting Greg down if I let anything happen to you. I can't do that. Besides, just because you hate me for being human doesn't mean I hate you or want you to get caught like Greg did."

She grunted her response, a stern expression still covering her face.

"I could protect you, more, if I could. If you would let me. If I could find a better place to hide you..."

"Shove off."

"Look, I'm sorry if I offended you or anything. I'm trying to do right by Greg."

She crossed her arms and gave another low grunt.

Realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere he set the boxes in the rock and replaced the cover. Keeping his eyes lowered to the sand he stood up and walked slowly back to his Denali with a heavy load on his shoulders.

* * *

At the Aquatic Containment Facility Nick was shown into a different room. Greg, prisoner number 163336, had to be separated from the group due to behavioral problems, he was told. But no matter how many times they explained it, he still didn't understand why. Greg was sweet, kind, and gentle. Sure, sometimes he could get out of hand, but he wasn't the type to misbehave or cause problems on purpose unless he was goofing off at home.

When they stopped in front of a small tank, too small to swim in, and pointed to the figure within, Nick's heart lurched forward a beat and then stopped. Greg was floating, listless, in the water. His beautiful eyes were blank, staring pools.

Nick signed his name to get his attention. But Greg didn't seem to notice him. He moved to stand right in front of him and tried again. His fiancé still didn't acknowledge him. What had they done to him? If he really had done something to make them do this, what had he done? Or, perhaps more accurately, what had they done to provoke his actions?

Greg's arms hung, loosely at his sides, unmoving. His tail gently curled beneath him, only the filmy end swaying in the water's slow current. All he wanted, all he NEEDED, was for Greg to blink, acknowledge him somehow, anyway he could. It didn't matter.

Then, as if he'd read Nick's mind, his right hand came up slightly. His forefinger curled and his hand moved in a jerky fashion. Up. Then down. "Need." Greg needed something. But what?

His hand came up further, an inch or two, his middle three fingers rising to form a "W". He waved it. Nick was confused. He needed Warrick? A window? But that wasn't the sign for window. And Warrick didn't have a name in sign language that he knew about.

Looking up, he found Greg's mouth moving, opening and closing, like a goldfish. Taking a guess, he signed "water", moving his hand the same as Greg, only against his chin.

Slowly, Greg's mouth closed.

"You need water?" Now, Nick was really confused. Greg couldn't need water. He was in water.

Greg's hand stilled and fell back to his side. As it did so, Nick caught sight of something that got his heart racing again. A dark, evil stain covered his right wrist. A series of numbers. And now it all made sense. He could easily picture armed guards trying to hold Greg down while someone attempted to tattoo him. He would have fought them tooth and nail, would have struggled until someone shot him if he had to. Or until he was drugged so he'd stay still. Restraint marks lined both of his wrists. He had been held down. Held down hard, and forced into something he didn't want.

Nick whirled around. When he saw the nearest guard he marched over.

"Why was he drugged?"

"Nobody said he was drugged," the overweight man said, shrugging his shoulders.

"But he was!"

"Not my place to say."

"Then why was he tattooed? He was brought in on a cocaine charge. He's not gonna be here forever!"

"We need to keep track of all the merpeople in the world. It's their version of a Social Security Number."

"I don't buy that for an instant. He was coherent enough to talk to me not that long ago. Now, all he can tell me is that he needs water. Why would he be saying that if he's in water?"

"Because he's not right in the head. None of 'em are. And he's the worst of the bunch. Looked so sad after you left before. I swear if he was human he woulda been bawlin' his stupid bloody eyes out."

His need to protect and defend Greg was suddenly overwhelming.

"Don't you ever say that about him again! There's nothing wrong with him!" Nick's voice cracked as he tried to yell louder. "Nothing!"

"You know what, Sir? Visiting hours are over. You shouldn't have come back."

"No! I am not leaving until I get some answers!"

Nick shoved a finger into the man's chest.

"Get him out of here." The guard cocked his head to the side as if looking at someone behind Nick.

Two latex gloved hands grasped his arms with unnatural strength. He struggled to get away, using all of his muscles and all the strength he possessed, but their steely grip wouldn't let go. His face grew hot and a bead of sweat rolled down his neck.

When he looked over to see one of the two men with piercing eyes, he immediately recognized the man's calm features. He wasn't even working hard to hold Nick there. Neither was the other man on his opposite arm.

Inside his chest his heart pounded. The smell of his own sweat filled his nostrils, and in this scent was that of fear, rolling off him in waves. Fear for Greg's life, because now he knew what Greg had been faced with in that jail cell back at the station.

The men, in their perfectly pressed suits, smiled at him and began walking away, taking him with them.

"Greg! Greg, you fight them! You hear me?! Fight them!"

But Greg didn't even look up at him and his eyes remained blank staring orbs.

"Greg?"

Nick's vision blurred until he couldn't see him at all anymore. A sharp pain pinched his right biceps.

"Greg? Greg... no..."

A dull headache began to form rather quickly. He shook his head to clear the growing cobwebs, but the pressure hurt too much. The heels of his shoes dragged on the floor. A door slammed somewhere close by and sudden bright light killed his vision entirely.

* * *

A/N: You guys know what's coming up, right? Just like November when I took a month off to write my novel, this coming March I'll be taking off to edit that same novel, and of course, to host the world wide event known as National Novel Editing Month. If you're interested in either event check out these two websites: www(dot)nanowrimo(dot)org for National Novel Writing Month, and www(dot)nanoedmo(dot)net for Editing Month. I only mention this because I won't have this story finished by then and I don't want you to think I've abandoned you. You know I could never do that to you, right? I love my boys too much.

Likewise, if you're interested in getting automatic emails every time I post a new chapter or story, join my wiki! You don't have to do anything more than join, I swear. Here's the link: www(dot)queenoftheuniverse(dot)wetpaint(dot)com.


	5. Chapter 4

CSI: Strength of Soul: Chapter 4

A/N: Today you get to meet a new character and Nick falls in love all over again, but it's not with Greg! And now you can't put this chapter down. My job is done.

* * *

Stomach churning.

"_Brass..."_

Throat closing up.

"_...send another detective..."_

Queasy. Pale whimper.

"_...to the crime scene..."_

Darkness crowding the light.

"_...found Stokes..."_

Trembling. Cold sweat. Teeth chattering. A voice calling a name. Shivering. Wind whooshing by. Truck horns blaring. Fingertips pressing into fabric, hard, like grains of salt, covering every inch of skin.

"_Nick? Nick, can you hear me?" _a woman.

Heaving. Stomach heaving. Oh God. No...

"_Nick!"_

Bubbles. Foul stench. Liquid. Wet. Warm. Heaving dry. Tears leaking, running. Light creeping in. Stomach settling. Gasping breath slowing.

Churning again. Gasping. Green grass coming into focus. Chunks. Yellow. And he was throwing up again. Retching, until his stomach was positively empty. He clutched his middle and took deep breaths. Blinked. Cars zoomed past in colorful blurs.

"Nick, are you ok? How are you feeling?" Sophia's voice.

He tried to stand, but without strength in his legs he fell back. Strong arms kept him out of the mess. His mess.

"I'm calling an ambulance if you don't say something within the next five seconds."

"I'm fine," he blurted. "Oh God. What happened?" The world swam before his eyes, and then cleared.

"I was hoping you could tell me. You were drugged, by my estimation. Though, how you ended up here, is beyond me."

Nick finally looked around himself and realized he was on the grassy median of a busy highway, though he didn't recognize which one. His Denali was parked nearby and Sophia's Charger wasn't too far away either, the driver's side door left open.

"Sorry about your shoes."

They both looked down at her vomit covered heels.

"They're just shoes."

"Greg was drugged too..." As soon as he realized what he'd said the events surrounding his visit with Greg came rushing back like a tidal wave, threatening to drown him.

Sophia kneeled in front of him. "Tell me what happened. Warrick said you were going back to see him?"

"He wasn't there."

"What do you mean he wasn't there?" Her eyes squinted at him and he could almost see the gears shifting in her brain as she tried to make sense of his words.

"All he would tell me was that he needs water."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. It was like I wasn't even there. He couldn't see me standing right in front of him." Remembering the blank look on Greg's face broke his heart. "They dragged me out of there when I started asking questions."

"Something's very wrong. I just don't know how to get to the bottom of it. I don't want to believe our government would let this be ok. But at the same time, I know they would."

"I'm going to return tonight and watch the place. If they're doing something, I'll find out about it. We'll get them on something," Nick tried to sound sure of himself, but the words didn't come out as strong as he'd hoped.. "If that doesn't work, then I'll take whatever drastic measures I have to, to get him out of there."

"What if they catch you?"

"I have to do something. I can't just sit by and let them hurt him. I can't." And now he just sounded desperate, even to his own ears.

"Alright. Fine. But you're not going alone."

Nick wiped the back of his sleeve across his mouth in an attempt to clean himself up.

"You're going to need a shower. Do you feel ok enough to stand on your own?"

He nodded. "I'll be fine. Thanks."

* * *

Only a few hours later, once the sun had set, Nick returned to the Aquatic Containment Facility for the third time that day. Sophia sat in the passenger seat beside him, night vision binoculars at her eyes. He was glad she'd talked to Brass while he'd gotten a chance to shower and change clothes. Now, backup was just a quick call away, if they needed it.

Neither of them said anything. There was nothing to say. Hours passed like molasses. Doing his best to control his worried emotions, he kept his mind on task by telling himself Greg was safely running DNA samples back at the lab. But it didn't help much as he flexed and tightened his fingers around the steering wheel.

They'd forced that tattoo on Greg. There was no way he would have ever consented to being branded like that. Nick knew he would have to find someone who could get it off him, and he didn't have time to waste. The psychological affects it would have on Greg could be devastating, the way he despised it so much.

Greg had never really explained why he hated tattoos. The conversation had come up once during an investigation involving a girl covered in sharp thorned vines of black ink. But that was before Nick knew about his test tube history. Now, he was wondering if his grandmother had been hiding her own tattoo from him when they'd briefly talked. There was a good chance if most of his family was branded, and possibly ashamed of it, he would be too. Their feelings would have easily rubbed off on him while he grew up.

The thought alone made Nick grind his teeth together. He would make them pay for what they did to Greg. Since the truth of Greg's half human-half merman body had come out, Greg's personality had lightened up considerably and he knew it was because he didn't feel the need to hide his true self from his boyfriend anymore. He didn't want Greg to feel ashamed about himself all over again. And he knew now, that's what he'd seen hints of before. Those times when Greg couldn't look him in the eye, like the time they'd been talking about tattoos over the girl's dead body, or the time he'd suggested they fly down to Texas to visit his parents. He hadn't thought much about it in the past, but now it made much more sense.

"There," Sophia finally said and it sounded like a bomb exploding and a foreign language being spoken at the same time.

She pointed into the inky blackness but he'd already seen the bright headlights turning out of the long drive from the old meat packing plant.

Without using his headlights, he switched the Denali's engine on and followed the large dump truck at a safe distance. Once on the main road he put his headlights on. Sophia radioed dispatch, letting them know their direction.

For an hour they followed the truck, letting cars come and go between them, with as many as ten or fifteen at a time. Finally, they turned off into the desert and Nick killed the headlights again. They continued to follow them for awhile longer until they saw the truck stop just beyond a copse of trees.

Sophia pulled out her night vision binoculars as Nick hid the Denali from view.

"What's going on? What are they doing?"

"They're digging a hole with shovels."

"Out here? What for?"

"The soil looks like it's been disturbed recently. It's loose, coming up easily."

Time passed yet again and the two men kept digging. Several times they stopped to take a breather, wiping sweat off their foreheads with the back of their hands. But they did nothing else.

A dark shape swooped down from the sky, squawked, and flew away. Nick shook his head and willed his heart rate to decrease faster.

"Give me those."

She handed the binoculars over and he watched the green forms drop the shovels. One of them got back into the truck and backed it up to the hole as the other directed him with his hands. The truck stopped and he raised the back end. Several large objects fell into the hole. Nick could just barely make out the tail of a merman before he was out of the Denali and running.

"LVPD! Stop!"

The man in the truck had gotten out to help his friend unload the back and the two men looked up, frozen to the ground, as if they were surprised to see anyone else out there besides themselves. Up close he could see that they both had long hair and wore overalls over once white t-shirts. Their heavy work boots were scuffed and dirty.

Then, Nick's eyes found what he'd been searching for, and in a split second he was afraid he would loose everything in his stomach all over again as the familiar odor of rotting bodies mixed with that of old fish.

"Backup's on it's way." Sophia appeared beside him. "Oh." Her hand covered her mouth and nose while her eyes followed the scent down into the hole they'd been digging. She stared for a few minutes before she spoke again, "You're under arrest for multiple counts of murder."

"But we didn't do nothing!" At least one of them had found his voice.

Nick was on his knees, beside the hole, unsure what he should be doing, afraid of moving the bodies, least he find his fiancé among them. He held his hands up to his face, as if to shield his eyes, but his fingers were trembling too much to be of use.

"Greg... no... Please... no..."

But upon further inspection of the bodies, only a few of them were fresh. The others underneath were causing the stench. They'd been there awhile, perhaps at least a week. Doc Robbins would be able to determine their exact time of death. He searched each face for some kind of clue, hint, anything that reminded him of Greg. But he found nothing.

His heart jerked suddenly at the sound of a small cry emanating from the grave.

"Damn baby," one of the arrested men swore.

Sophia jerked his handcuffs as she lead him toward the Denali to keep him and his friend together. "Keep your mouth shut," she warned.

Nick's eyes searched the bodies again. He found a small, baby pink tail barely flapping to get someone's attention. A sound escaped his own mouth, a desperate, horrified, jolting wail, as he reached in and pushed the red tail of an adult aside to reveal a baby girl. Her eyes were open, though unblinking, staring up at the terrible blanket of night trying to smother her life. She cried out again, her tiny voice barely able to be heard.

He pulled her out, and quickly cradled her in his arms. Her skin was as dry and flaky as a delicate pastry and he was afraid she'd crumble from his touch.

"She still alive!" his voice cracked.

Sophia was back beside him within seconds.

"Dear God..."

The baby coughed and cried again, her gills working sluggishly to help her breathe.

"It's ok, honey. You're going to be ok. I've got you now. Everything's alright."

He bounced her in his arms a little, to help calm her, but her crying didn't cease. She continued to stare into the inky black, not seeming to notice the man gazing down at her, holding her.

"Here!" Sophia set a plastic bin full of water at his feet. In her hands was an empty gallon jug. "Thank God you had these."

He settled the little girl into the water, and watched her features calm and her body relax. Nick didn't take his hands from her, instead he gently brushed her cheek with his thumb, removing as much dirt as he could. Her hands moved, making tiny fists in the water and her tail slapped the surface, spraying Nick with water. A smile tugged on his lips at her sudden playfulness. She was beautiful, with pale blue eyes and brown hair. She was perfect, the way every child is when they're first born.

"Nick, she's not moving her head," Sophia noted.

With the water in the bin almost gone, the detective grabbed another jug nearby and refilled it.

Nick now took careful notice of her head. She was right. The girl stared. Her eyes didn't blink. Her head hadn't moved. He waved a hand over her face but she didn't react, didn't respond in any way a normal baby would have.

"She can't see me! She's blind!"

Moments later, sirens emerged from the trees and several cars came to a stop, the Charger in the lead skidding forward a few inches, spraying dirt into the air. Brass was the first one out of his car, followed closely by the rest of the team, along with Doc Robbins, and David, his assistant.

Everyone was rushing over, asking what they'd found in a clamor of voices, when they stumbled upon the yawning hole in the earth. The sudden din came to an abrupt halt. Brass looked up at Nick and Sophia, a deep sadness seated in his expression. Catherine was horrified, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

Nick didn't dare see the faces of his other friends and coworkers, afraid of what he'd see there: pity, sorrow, and revulsion, things he didn't need just then.

"We found one still alive," he said, gently picking the baby girl up out of the water, and cradling her against his chest, soaking his shirt.

"Oh my God..."

Doc hurried over as fast as his legs would allow. "How is she?"

"She's blind. Been out of water for a long time."

"I can't imagine doing this to anyone, especially a baby." Robbins shook his head as the others made their way over to see the remaining survivor.

"They were going to burry her without a second thought," Nick said, holding her tighter, and almost turning away so they wouldn't gawk at her.

"I wonder how old she is. Can't be more than a few months, I'd say," David guessed.

"No more than a year. Greg explained it to me once...When a baby's first born, it has a specific coloring. Since she's a girl, she was born with a pink tail. If she were a boy, it would be blue. Once they turn a year old, the color starts to change to whatever it will be when they're an adult. For Greg it was green. He says that's why we think girls should be in pink and boys in blue."

"That's good to know. It'll help us identify some of them. At least their ages."

Nick couldn't help but realize, as she gripped his pinky finger in her small fist, that she held a tattoo against her wrist. 163330 was her number. It was small and black against her milk white skin, reminding him of a terrible, diseased filled growth. But she was still just a baby. She could grow up to lead a normal life the way Greg had.

He had no choice but to believe it was true.

* * *

"Griss... I need a place to keep her until we find Greg and wrap this up." Nick held the blanketed bundle close, keeping the baby mermaid hidden from the prying eyes of lab techs who might say the wrong thing to the wrong people. "If I take her to Greg's family, I run the risk of leading people there who might want to hurt them, possibly even kill them." He followed his boss into his office, letting Sophia close the door behind them.

Water pouring into a large bin made Nick turn around to see Warrick with a gallon of water.

"Here, let me take the blanket."

He let Sara take the warm cloth away from the baby and gently set her inside the water. A smile lit up her features and she splashed the water with her tail and her fists. Her dry, flaky skin had already started to heal thanks to the fresh water they'd been giving her.

"She seems happy and healthy," Catherine commented.

"Doc said she was from what he could tell."

"Nick," Grissom finally spoke over everyone else. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" Nick looked from his boss to his coworkers, confused as to what he meant.

"You're taking full responsibility for her. This is a case. You can't do that. We're going to have to call in a social worker to take her."

"Griss! You can't!"

"Gil, in case you didn't notice, she's a mermaid. We can't just hand her over to someone else. We need to protect her from the press, from this ACF place. Right now, because Greg's our friend, and part of our family, we all need to take responsibility for her and protect her."

Everyone watched Catherine as she spoke.

"What? Did I overstep my bounds?"

"Not at all. I agree."

"Me too."

"She's my responsibility," Nick stated.

"You feel responsible for what happened to Greg. That's why you're doing this," Sophia guessed. "But you can't let that cloud your judgement. I agree with Catherine. When this is all over, then we can decide who should take responsibility over her."

Nick swallowed the lump that had grown in his throat. "I want that responsibility. Whether we find Greg or not. Whether we end this thing or not."

"Guys! Stop!" Gil called. "For right now, we'll keep her in here, where she should be safe. And that's that."

The little girl closed her fist around the finger dangling in the water and Nick absently wiggled it, making her smile more. His body shuddered at the thought of not seeing Greg again, of having to go home to an empty bed and never feeling his lover's warm, comforting arms around him again.

"OUCH!"

A sharp pain hit his finger and shot up his arm and into his shoulder. He jerked away from the cause, only to find the baby crying in the water, her mouth turned down into a frown. He looked at his finger, in surprise, seeing two deep bite marks.

"I think she's hungry, Nick," Catherine observed.

"No duh, Cath." Not wanting the mermaid to cry he put his finger back into the water, bumping her hand so she could find it. Her frown turned upside down as she brought his finger back to her mouth and began to gnaw on it without biting down too hard this time.

"Did Greg ever happen to tell you what baby mermaids eat?"

Nick sighed. "No, he didn't."

"Well, let's try regular baby food, then. Who wants to go out and get some?"

They turned to Catherine.

"You're the only one of us who's ever had a kid."

"Fine. There's a store just up the street. I'll be right back. And Nick? Watch that finger, ok? I want to see you still intact when I get back."

He nodded, but didn't take his attention away from the baby.

Once she had left, their boss turned to the rest of the team and Sophia.

"Ok, so what have we got so far?"

"Not much," Sara commented. "A drugged Greg with a tattoo he shouldn't have. A lot of drugged merpeople, if I remember correctly. None of them seemed with it when we went to see him."

"Yeah, they all just kinda stared off into space."

"Like Greg," Nick supplied.

"And two guys digging a hole that's obviously been used as a mass grave site before. Makes me wonder how many of those they have. I mean, there were a lot of bodies in there, but they weren't dead for more than a week, according to what Doc said."

"There's no way we can keep this under wraps. A crime scene that big. As soon as they get all those bodies back here for examining, they're going to completely take over the morgue. Why were we bothering to keep her out of sight?"

"Because, Sara, she's still alive. And we need to protect that."

A loud banging at the office door brought their attention to the hallway.

"It's the sheriff."

As soon as Sophia had the door open a crack, he barged in without so much as a 'hello'.

"Gil! What the hell's going on here?!" he asked, short of breath, his face almost beat red.

Sophia quietly shut the door behind him as he confronted the supervisor.

"We've got a mass grave of MERMAIDS being brought in?!"

"Merpeople, is actually the correct term," Gil said. "There are men in that grave too."

"I don't care who the hell's in that grave! What I want to know is where they came from! How did they get there?!"

"The... Aquatic Containment Facility... took over the old meat packing plant. I'm guessing they have some sort of lab..."

"A lab?"

"It's a complicated story."

"Tell me about it."

The baby mermaid's tail slapped the water, and her face found the surface as a twinkling little laugh cut through the stiff silence.

The sheriff stepped around Nick to see her. His eyes widened and his breath hitched.

"Holy shit. Am I seeing...? Am I seeing what I think I am?"

Nick's jaw clenched, ready to protect her at the merest notion that she needed it.

"You are," Warrick confirmed.

"Stokes? Why's she biting your finger?"

"She's just hungry. Catherine went to get her some food."

"Right. Right. Wow. Someone pinch me. This must be a dream. No. A nightmare."

A cell phone rang and Gil answered his.

"That was Brass," he said once he'd hung up just a minute later. "He's managed to find the man in charge of the Aquatic Containment Facility. A Mr. Drake Delray. He's in an interrogation room now."

Nick's head shot up. "Then let's go. I have some questions for him. Regarding Greg. And this little girl."

"You mean Greg Sanders?" the Sheriff asked. "What's he have to do with this?"

The team turned to Nick, as if asking his permission to spill the beans. Nick turned back to the girl clutching his finger still. Pain clouded his heart. He didn't want to tell him the truth, didn't want anyone hating Greg because he was different. But did he really have a choice anymore?

"He's not human," Nick finally mumbled.

"What?"

"I said he's not human. He's part merman." Lifting his head again, he felt hot tears prick at his eyes. "And the people who tried to kill this little girl, have him. But they're government. We can't just go in there and take him. I'm so worried for him. If anything happens..." he stopped mid-sentence and dropped his eyes again when he realized what he was starting to say in front of the Sheriff.

"We all are, Nick." Warrick assured him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "We all are."

"Hey, how's our girl?" Catherine's voice came from the doorway. "Oh, Sheriff. Hi."

"Hi, Catherine," he greeted.

"Catherine, we were just going to head over to the police station. Drake Delray has come forward as the man in charge of the ACF and is willing to talk. Can you keep an eye on her while we're gone?"

"Sure thing."

"I'm gonna go help Doc and David with the other bodies," Sara volunteered.

"I'm with you." Warrick moved to leave with her.

"Alright, Nick, Sophia, I guess that means you're with me. Sheriff? You coming?"

"I'm not missing this for the world."

* * *

"Mr. Delray, this is Gil Grissom and Nick Stokes from the Crime Lab and one of my Detectives, Sophia Curtis. We'd like to ask you some questions."

"You know as soon as they told me cops were digging around my place, of course I wanted to help out any way I could," he had a smooth voice, almost too genuine.

His suit was too perfect, his tie too straight. Not a single grey hair out of place. And his cologne was an expensive variety, though Nick couldn't place the brand.

"Of course."

"I know how it looks at first. You've never heard of us, yet we're a large part of the government, collecting up merpeople who are committing crimes. Perhaps you're not aware that most of them can transform into humans at will. But they still need water to survive."

"Oh we know alright. You collected up one of our coworkers not that long ago, and he was a law abiding citizen."

"Ah, right. Greg Sanders. I was told about him. Well, I gathered from his record that he was caught with drugs."

"During an illegal search and seizure!"

"I'm sorry if the way my guys work is not up to par with yours, but we do our best. And he did have cocaine on him. What else was there for us to do?"

Nick stepped up to the table then. "The last time I saw him, he had a tattoo on his arm, and he'd been drugged. Want to tell me about that?" Keeping his voice full of menace wasn't hard in this situation. Just remembering Greg's staring eyes brought it out of him.

"From what I was told he was acting out against the other prisoners. He was getting violent, so they had to separate him. When he tried to attack a guard, they had to sedate him. You just arrived at a bad time."

"Excuse me, Mr. Delray," Grissom spoke up. "But, when we saw him the first time, he was the only one who responded to us. The other merpeople didn't seem to notice we were there."

"Some of them are blind. We haven't figured out what causes blindness in them, but a large number of them can't see."

"So, you're performing... what? Surgeries? You're trying to solve a health problem while they're in prison? Are they your guinea pigs?"

"Of course not! But our in-house doctor noticed some of them going blind while they were in our care, and didn't know what was causing it. He's looking into it. I don't know if we'll ever figure it out."

"Ok, then. Tell us about the mass grave we found."

Mr. Delray let out a light laugh. "Where else are we gonna put them when their time's up? No one knows of their existence. And there are more of them than you think. This world's already got too many graveyards. And those things cost too much money. We're just sparing the public of wasting their money and letting them see something that could easily scare them. Surely, you, Captain Brass, can see the mess we'd cause just from frightening a few old grannies."

Seeing Greg's own grandmother, brought a tight pain to Nick's chest.

"You've got a lot against you right now. Money, large amounts, going into your organization, with no tag as to where it came from. Illegal search and seizures. Lots of dead bodies piling up. They didn't all die naturally. There were children in that grave. Dead children. And one baby who wasn't dead. Explain that one to me."

Brass fixed him with a stare.

"They told me about her. She was attached to her mother. No one could get her to let go. So, when her mother died..."

"What? You couldn't sedate her too?"

"She's just a baby. That stuff's too strong for her."

"So you were just gonna let her die, is that it?"

"Look, you're not going to find any evidence that points either way to this. We keep detailed records of all our inmates. And there's nothing about her. She wasn't a criminal. Just came as a package deal with her mother. That's all."

"And you find a prison an acceptable home for a baby?"

"Well, no, of course not. That's why she was separated from everyone else."

"What do you mean about the evidence?" Nick asked, his arms crossed. "If you keep detailed records, then why won't this be there? Because I'm thinking I'd like to take a look at those records, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Knock yourself out. You just won't find anything. That's all."

"What about Greg's file?"

"Probably won't find much there either. He's too new to the ACF."

A glint in the man's eyes told Nick he was lying. He appeared smug and self-satisfied, as if he knew he was duping them. There was no way he could get out of this easily and walk away, yet he seemed determined to smooth talk them into thinking he was on their side.

The door barged open then, to reveal the Sheriff, who'd been listening in to their conversation from the other room.

"Sheriff?"

"That old meat packing plant's on fire! It was just called in. Fire department's on its way."

It didn't take Nick two seconds to put it all together and he was dashing out of the room before anyone could stop him, the begging voice in his head spurring him onward: "Nicky, I need you... Please find me..."


	6. Chapter 5

CSI: Strength of Soul: Chapter 5

A/N: I must apologize for taking so long with this. But as you know, March is National Novel Editing Month, so I had to edit my fifty hours and run the event, world wide, and locally. It was lots of fun! But I'm glad to be back to my fanfiction. I hate leaving stories unfinished, especially when they're being read by you guys. It shouldn't take me too long to finish this story, and then I promise to work on Braden Sanders-Stokes. So, without further ado, here's chapter five! Please enjoy, and as always, remember how much I love reviews!

* * *

Sirens cut the early morning air then were muffled as several red trucks came to an abrupt halt, spewing dust and dirt into the air, right behind Sophia's Charger.

"Greg!"

Nick's eyes stung as he took in the burning building, flames leaping out of high windows and doors. Smoke, thick and black, like a choking blanket, smothered the world from above.

"Greg!" Nick screamed his fiance's name until he was hoarse, tears ripping down his face.

Without having to think, he dashed through an open doorway, covering his head against falling debris and flames.

"Hey!" he heard a fireman shout in his direction. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?! Isn't he CSI?"

"Right now, he's a worried fiancé," Sophia responded.

Inside, Nick spun around the containment facility. He was surrounded by several hundred dead souls crying out for retribution, their bodies lying motionless at the bottom of their tanks. Sprinting down each row, while the fire raged ever closer, Greg was nowhere to be found.

Then he stumbled forward, slipping on shards of broken glass. Reaching out to catch himself, points of glass bit into the soft flesh of his palm. His brain hardly registered the pain as he looked up at the smashed tank in front of him. He recognized the number etched into the glass: 163336, Greg's tattoo. The tank was empty.

"NOOOOOOO!"

At least there was still hope that he was alive, unlike the others. Seeing an office nearby, about to be consumed by the ever licking flames, his CSI instincts took over. He pushed himself off the ground, and darted forward, ignoring the pain in his hand and the dripping blood.

The office held one desk surrounded by metal filing cabinets. He yanked one open to reveal folders in numerical order starting in the thousands. He was confused by this until he remembered the tattoos. Grabbing a file, he found a picture of a merman along with his height, weight, number of tests done on him - all of which he couldn't even pronounce, though they sounded terrible and rather painful. Covering his number was a word stamped in red "Deceased". He moved down to the bottom of the cabinet and opened the first file. A little baby boy. His tattoo was the number one. Not even a year old, and he was listed as "Deceased". Sickened, he moved to another cabinet and found more of the same, merpeople of all ages were gone. Finding the higher tattoo numbers, closer to Greg's, these were not labeled as dead. But some of them he recognized from the tanks just outside the office. No one had taken the time, or even had the time, to update their files to the fact that they were now gone to the world.

Remembering the tattoo of the little girl he'd saved, he found her file, surprised to also find a duplicate. With the raging inferno coming ever closer and smoke beginning to fill the room, he grabbed the last number in the last cabinet. He had just enough time to check Greg's picture before a tiny cry met his ears over the roaring fire. Looking up, sweat fell into his eyes and all he could see was a wall of orange flames. The plaintive cry came again and this time he recognized it as a baby's. Fear shook him. He'd seen a baby, dead, in a tank. But maybe she hadn't been dead after all.

He made a run for it, feeling the heat beat at his skin, burning parts of his clothing. A glass tank burst on the other side of the large room. The cry turned into a wail he couldn't ignore. When he finally found the right tank his heart stopped beating for a moment. She was young, not even a year old, as her tail color hadn't changed from its baby pink into her true color. She was struggling to keep her head above the water to scream, gulping in smoke between wails.

Rushing forward, he recognized her instantly as the little girl he'd already saved from death. But this girl was looking right at him. His girl had a twin. Still clutching the files he scooped her out of the water and ran for the door just as the firemen began blasting the building.

"Where's Greg?" Sophia asked.

"They took him." Nick threw the files at her and cradled the girl in his arms. "It's ok, sweetie. You're alright now. No one's going to hurt you anymore."

He brushed the tears from her abnormally pale face, as she heaved a dry cough, her gills working over time to clear her system from the smoke and whatever else they'd used to try to kill her. Oddly enough, her crying began to subside even though it was clear she was in distress.

Someone thrust a bucket of water at Nick and he gently set her in it, the blood from his hand turning the water a dark red. She raised her tiny hands, reaching for him, crying out. He pulled her back out and cradled her again.

"Nick, your hands." Sophia's voice.

"I'm fine. They killed everyone inside. Chemicals in the water, probably."

The little girl struggled to breathe, becoming more pale by the second. She blinked, as if needing to shut her eyes from the pain of the possible chemicals working their way through her body, but also needing to see her savior. Her eyes stayed locked on his.

A hand landed on his arm. "Nicky, she's not going to make it. The EMTs won't know what to do for her and we can't get her to the lake in time."

Nick rocked the baby mermaid gently in his arms. "You're safe now, honey. Everything's going to be alright."

"Don't do this to yourself, Nick. Don't get attached. Let her go."

The baby reached up and touched her cold, tiny fingers to his face. Her tail flapped wildly as convulsions took over her small body. A look of pain crossed over her beautiful features, but she didn't cry out. Instead, she grabbed his bloody finger and held on as tight as she could.

He choked as he began to croon into her ear, "fly away, little one. Fly away. May peace come to you at last. Cross over to the other side, where love will find you."

When the convulsions stopped she looked up at him and actually smiled.

"You're sister's doing ok. I'll take good care of her. I promise."

The one hand still on his face moved to feel his tears.

"It's ok. You don't have to be afraid. I'm right here with you, and I'm not gonna let you go."

Her eyes fluttered, she coughed, and her perfect brown curls looked black against the deathly pallor of her skin.

He continued to sooth her as she calmed down, "everything's alright... you're going to a good place, baby girl. A place where you will be loved. You are loved. And I know you'll take a piece of me with you, my little Calandra. You deserve to be named and I think Calandra fits you. It means "lark" and now, you're free to fly away..."

Her eyelids fluttered as a hummingbird's wings. She struggled to keep them open, to keep them locked on his, but the angel of death had at last arrived to take her last breath away, to carry her over the bridge to that better place Nick had spoken of.

As her hand fell from his face and her grip loosened around his finger he wept openly for the loss of such a beautiful girl and the horrors that had been done to her and everyone else at the Aquatic Containment Facility. He was only thankful she'd been able to leave their world with some peace and a smile on her face.

He gently kissed the curls on her head and wrapped her in the blanket the EMTs had provided. When only her face was left uncovered, he paused to give her one last look before finally letting her go. He needed to find Greg before he ended up like the little girl Nick had just lost.

"You dropped these." Sophia picked up the files Nick had found. Soaking wet, they were still readable.

"They listed her as damaged goods..." Realization dawned on him. "They really did intend to kill a perfectly healthy baby girl..."

"What do you mean?" She read over his shoulder.

"Just because she was blind... oh God. I wonder how many others there have been."

Over her tattoo number had been stamped in red ink one word: TERMINATED.

"She was only a year old and they didn't care about her at all," Nick said, letting anger fill his voice..

Underneath the list of chemicals they'd given her, one was listed as possibly creating her blindness, and thus, the reason for her termination.

"But if they were willing to kill her so quickly just because she was blind... what about the others they didn't? Remember he said they were trying to fix them..."

"He was smooth talking us. Lying. The stupid fucking bastard. He wanted us to think they were being good. Who really knows how many of them really were blind. I can't look at that."

He handed it over to Sophia and opened the next file. Greg's picture stared up at him with dead eyes. No birth date had been listed. Instead it read "born free". They'd also noted that he knew other free merpeople who'd escaped from the lab, and they wanted to find them.

"That's why they didn't leave him to die with the others," the detective commented.

"Greg would know what all this is," Nick pointed to a list of chemicals they'd obviously given him."

Suddenly gasping, unable to breathe, his eyes stinging, he covered his mouth and let his eyes close. Tears burned his skin as they ran down his face, blazing trails behind them. The file fell from his loose grasp and landed face down in the dirt at his feet. The metallic taste of the blood from his hand filled his mouth.

"Nick? You ok?" It was Catherine's voice. Maybe.

But when he opened his eyes again he suddenly wasn't so sure of anything. His eyes stung, his vision blurred, and then the world around him began to spin, picking up speed until he thought he would be sick to his stomach. A lurching groan sounded nearby, and he felt his knees buckling.

"Nick!"

Oh God, he was going to be sick.

"Water! Get me some water!"

He shut his eyes tight against the migraine coming on, listening to himself moaning, unable to stop.

"Ginger ale's better..."

A hand grabbed his shoulder and held him upright on his knees as his body began to tremble.

"No, he didn't ingest those chemicals! They seeped through his skin!"

"Get his shirt off! Soak him! Now!"

Somebody was touching him... trying to unbutton his shirt...

"G...?"

The shirt was ripped off. Water streamed down his body, soaking his hair, his jeans. But it had been sunny out. When had it started to rain?

"Aim that hose a little lower!"

The water came harder now, heavier. And somehow, it was cleansing. His sudden migraine began to dissipate and when he opened his eyes the world around him was slowing down. He took several deep breaths and looked here and there to see several people watching him with intent expressions. Catherine was kneeling in front of him, while Jim Brass stood behind her.

"Nick?"

"Y...yea... yeah..." He took several deep, calming breaths. "Shit. I'm ok," he breathed. "I'm ok... I think."

"We'd better get you to a hospital."

"I'm fine. We need to find Greg." He shook his head to remove the last of the spinning cobwebs.

"Your hand's gonna need stitches. That looks nasty."

Looking down at his right hand, he swore again. A deep gash crossed the entire palm from the base of his little finger to his wrist right below his thumb.

As soon as the words were out of the detective's mouth two EMTs were crowded around him, taking his pulse, feeling for a temperature, and taking a very close look at his hand.

"Yeah, he's right. You need the ER."

"Cath...? Jim...? What are you doing here?" he finally asked.

"A crime was committed. I'm here to process the scene as soon as it's safe to do so."

"Come on, Nick. I'll follow you to the hospital," Sophia said as they carefully wrapped a long white cotton bandage around his hand.

"How's the baby?" he asked Catherine as he allowed himself to be lead away.

"She's fine. Grissom's keeping an eye on her."

He nodded, feeling better knowing she was in safe hands.

* * *

"Talk to me Sophia. What else do the files say?"

Nick gritted his teeth and continued to watch the doctor slide the needle through his skin, sewing his palm shut, as he sat on the edge of the bed in the Desert Palms ER.

The detective paused for a fraction of a second before she began to speak, flipping sopping wet pages over in her hands, "Well... The first person they experimented on was a real mermaid. It says here they decided to try to use her genes and DNA to create a merperson/human hybrid; that would be the first baby boy's file you found. But they didn't want him to need water all the time."

"I guess they're still working out the kinks."

"Yeah, I guess so."

The doctor interrupted their conversation as he wrapped Nick's hand in a fresh bandage. "Now, you want to tell me about your chest and arms?"

"What about them?"

The doctor nodded in their direction and Nick looked down to see that his skin was red and swollen. His mind had been filled with thoughts of the twins and his missing fiancé to even notice the redness, much less the pain that now coursed through him.

"Chemical burns," Sophia supplied.

"Chemical burns?" the doctor sounded surprised. "If that's true, they should be worse than this."

"I... I was wearing a shirt..."

"And it wasn't direct contact."

"Can you tell me how this happened?"

Remembering baby Calandra in his arms, holding onto him, staring her beautiful eyes into his, even as she died, he held his arms up as if she were still ensconced in them.

"I held a baby..." his lips began to tremble a little. "A baby girl who'd been left to die in contaminated water..."

The doctor stood perfectly still, and raised his eyes to meet Nick's. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He closed it again and stood there, now looking to the right of Nick's head.

"I'm sorry..." it came out as a mere whisper.

All Nick could do was nod.

The doctor sighed, as if to clear his mind of a horrid sight that had planted itself there.

"We're going to have to put a cream on that. It should help that burn to go away. Alright?"

"Sure... I guess."

When the man left Sophia moved across the room to stand in front of him. "Nick... about that baby..."

"Calandra."

"Yes. Calandra. I told you... I know this is a hard thing for you... but you shouldn't have..."

"I knew she wasn't going to make it. Even before I got her out of there. But at least I was able to make her passing that much easier on her."

Her cell phone went off at the same moment the doctor returned with a tube of cream.

"I'll be right back."

As she disappeared, he began to cover Nick's chest and arms with the cream.

"I'll write you out a prescription for this. Just apply it as needed until the redness is gone. Ok?"

Nick could only nod, the image of Calandra, still burned into his memory.

They were silent for a while until Sophia came back in.

"That was Doc Robbins."

Nick's head shot up.

"That mass grave we found? Chemical poisoning killed all of them. But for the most part they were healthy. Several others were blind, of those recent enough to determine. One baby had deformed hands..."

"The webbing is not a deformation," Nick corrected.

"There was no webbing. Several fingers were missing, and others were permanently bent. He said skin had covered them, turning them into bumps."

Nick swallowed the lump growing in his throat. "What else?"

"One little boy's heart was shriveled, and he's sure that didn't come from the chemical that killed him, but something else. For the most part he's not sure what went on and he hasn't gotten through nearly a quarter of the bodies yet. But what he can say is that they didn't have to die. Even though some are deformed, they could have survived to live long, full lives."

Nick hung his head, staring into space, not even realizing it when his eyes settled on a spot on his shoe and stayed there.

"I'm sorry Nick."

"It's ok," he said. "We're all just doing our jobs. Unfortunately, so were those that killed so many innocent people..." Nick trailed off as he thought about his innocent fiancé getting arrested on a fake drug charge.

In his mind he saw Greg staring off into space at the Aquatic Containment Facility and it reminded him of the baby he'd managed to save from the mass grave site. Had they blinded Greg too? His beautiful Greg, with those sparkling brown eyes... Would he have to learn to walk and swim with help? With a seeing-eye dog? Inside his body, Nick felt his heart breaking. But he knew that no matter what, he would get Greg back and he would be there for him, no matter what he needed. No matter what...

* * *

_Somewhere, on a lonely beach, one merman uses the last of his strength to beach himself, daring to survive the suffocating air and the sharp rays of sun beating down on his weakened body._

_

* * *

  
_

A/N: I promise to stick with this story and work diligently on it until it's done. And that shouldn't take me too long. The end is in sight. However, if you'd like automatic updates on this piece and others, perhaps you'd like to know the moment I finally post the next chapter of Braden, join my personal wiki! Queenoftheuniverse(dot)wetpaint(dot)com. I send out messages every time a new story or chapter is posted, so you know right away! Handy, huh? Yeah, I thought so too.


	7. Chapter 6

CSI: Strength of Soul: Chapter 6

"All units please respond!" Sophia's radio screamed in the charger, on their way back to the lab. "There's a situation at Lake Menos!"

"What's going on? That's Greg's home... who knows..." Nick fidgeted in his seat.

Sophia glanced in her rearview mirror before spinning the car around on the deserted road and sped toward the newly renamed lake.

"On our way to the hospital I called Warrick and had him check up on things. We don't know what Greg could have told them."

"Greg wouldn't..."

"Not on purpose. No. But they're capable of many things. And I didn't want to take any chances."

Nick realized she was right, and while under normal circumstances she would have sent a regular uniform, because it was standard procedure, she hadn't. She'd sent someone she knew Nick would trust with the knowledge of the location.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Sirens could be heard in the distance, growing near, and two police cruisers sped past. Sophia stepped harder on the gas pedal as more cops arrived.

Nick felt his nerves on edge, crashing into each other like high speed bumper cars at the fair. It hadn't been that long ago, less than twenty-four hours, when he'd asked Greg's grandmother for her blessings. He wanted her to know how important she and the rest of Greg's family were to him, just because they were important to Greg. But above all, he wanted her to

understand just how much he loved her grandson, really and truly.

Seeing blue lights flashing from the opposite direction he braced himself for the sharp turn she would have to make at high speed. Their bodies swayed with the car as she turned and bounced along the dirt road.

The sight that greeted them when they arrived was frightening. One of the gloved men who'd taken Greg out of the police station was holding his grandmother down, nearly suffocating her, while the other prepared a needle for her arm. Both of them were still in their perfectly pressed suits, with not even a wrinkle or a grain of sand marring the fabric.

Warrick held his gun out, aimed and ready to fire at the one holding her down. But at the same time at least ten others from the facility had automatic weapons aimed at the CSI.

"If you even so much as touch her with that needle, I'll kill him. You get me?" Warrick's voice was tough, unyeilding, and unafraid, as was his stance and unwavering gun hand.

"Does it look like I even care? You kill him and you're dead." The man looked up, his eyes piercing straight through Warrick's skin.

Greg's grandmother struggled to breathe, her gills working frantically, as her tail slapped the sand beneath her back. Tortured sounds escaped her throat as she tried in vain to get the men off her.

"Noooo!" Nick's gun was unholstered and he was running in seconds. He fired without thought and hit the man with the syringe. The needle fell and he clasped his arm briefly where he'd been shot. But he didn't fall.

The others whirled around, their guns aimed at him, but he was already past them with a wall of armed cops behind him.

"We're Feds. Put down your weapons," the other man's voice was even, calm, as if he expected them to comply without incident.

"Don't move a muscle," Sophia called. "She's innocent. Don't touch her. You hurt her and you're dead. Capish?"

"She escaped from our facility. We're just trying to get her back. That's all."

"Right, your facility that finds it acceptable to kill perfectly healthy children."

A right hook to his jaw sent Nick spinning toward the sand beneath him, his mind rushing to understand what had just happened. He shook his head to clear it, came up, and swung his right fist into the gloved man's stomach. A shot rang out and a bullet whizzed by his head, just inches from his face. He paused for just a moment, which cost him dearly as the man grabbed his extended arm and twisted it over his head. He was held in an awkward position, struggling to get out of it.

From his vantage point he could see Warrick's gun barrel connect with the one choking the woman, releasing her from his grasp. A strong arm encircled its way around Nick's neck, but his feet were still free. Kicking both out, Nick shoved her into the lake the second she was loose. He watched her roll into the water.

"Damn it!"

The arm tightened around him and he found himself gasping for breath. He stopped struggling to think, just for a moment. He turned, elbow jutting behind him, and struck him in the ribs as hard as he could. The man doubled over, but didn't relax his hold.

Squeezing his hand between his neck and the man's arm, he managed to get a fresh breath of air. With renewed vigor he bent forward, bringing the man with him, only to fling his body backwards and the gloved man into the sand. Now on top of him, he struck him again and again in the face with his elbow, until the hold on his neck loosened and let go.

He whirled on him, flipped him over, and had him cuffed within seconds. Looking up, he saw Sophia tackling a man twice her size as he used brute force to throw her off. When her gun barrel landed on the back of his neck, he stopped all movement.

A zinging pain suddenly filled Nick's body as he held his man down.

"Nick!"

More shots rang out. He felt the air move as a man fell beside him, dead. Both hands were gloved.

"Jesus, Nick. I thought I had him!" Warrick rushed at him and grasped the biceps on his right arm.

It was then that Nick finally saw the blood, running southward, toward his hand.

"Damn, what happened to your hand?"

"Glass. Had to get stitches."

Nick began looking frantically around once the ACF men had been either shot or arrested.

"Where's Greg? Rick... where's Greg?!"

"He wasn't here when I got here. And I didn't see him with them either. I'm sorry, Nick."

Nick hung his head, knowing it could only mean they'd already taken care of him. He was out of tears. He couldn't cry. Not for Greg. Not for his beloved fiancé. And no words came to mind. Nothing. Silently, he accepted it, somehow, even as his heart turned to glass and shattered, leaving nothing in its wake but dust blowing in the desert wind.

When Sophia approached the one surviving gloved man, Nick barely paid any attention to her questions. The man must have back talked as her foot slammed down onto his chest, making him cough and wheeze.

"We lost government funding," he finally said.

"And where's Greg?"

"Who?"

Nick stood up, with Warrick following, still putting pressure on his bullet wound.

"Nick? You ok?"

Nick only shrugged him off to sit alone under a nearby tree. His eyes came to rest on the undisturbed stone box and he quickly looked away.

"Nick..."

Warrick's concerned voice was replaced by Sophia's.

"I got this Warrick."

She knelt before Nick, her hands on his shoulders, her eyes boring deep into his.

"Don't loose hope. We can still find him. I promise we will."

"How?"

"I've got a solid lead."

Now she had Nick's full attention.

"Let's get you back to the hospital."

"Just patch me up."

"But..."

"It's a through and through. Patch me up."

Wondering how his coworker had known, he let Warrick wrap his arm in a pristine white bandage over his long shirt sleeve and prepared for a hunt he knew he never should have given up on.

* * *

It was actually a lake not far from Freedom Lake and Nick was surprised at how quickly they had arrived. But arrived didn't begin to cover it, having the entire perimeter to search. He knew Greg wasn't stupid, but if they'd had him drugged before dumping him into the water there was a good chance he was still in there with no clue that Nick was looking for him. He would have to go scuba diving to find him. Unless Greg had left on his own. The possibilities were endless.

Sophia parked the car and they both got out, ready to walk the distance around the lake. He wanted to ask what would happen if they didn't find him. But he knew the answer and he was prepared. He had to be. Because someone had to be there for the baby mermaid. And if he couldn't take proper care of Greg, he damn well would take perfect care of her. He would devote his life to her.

"How's your arm?" Sophia asked as they plowed through the underbrush at the water's edge, scanning the glassy surface.

He knew what she meant to ask, what she'd been too polite to say to his face. He was only somewhat grateful. If she knew anything about love, then she knew this was a search he couldn't avoid because of his injuries.

"I'm fine," was all he said.

And it was true, this very thing was what had gotten Greg in trouble to begin with. But he was determined.

A sound like that of a tail slapping water came from nearby.

"Greg?!"

Nick whipped around to see nothing but a large bird taking flight, its wings hitting tree branches and leaves. His heart plummeted, and his shoulders slumped.

"Hey." Sophia grabbed his attention. "Have faith."

He nodded and they continued on.

"He's not here," Nick finally said when they were half way around the water. "What if he's..."

He stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes fell into the glassy pool. It was a perfectly clear day and he could easily see all the way to the horrific bottom. He covered his mouth, praying he wouldn't throw up again, breath caught in his throat, he felt faint, and reached out to grab hold of anything that would keep him steady.

"Don't look," she advised.

But it was already too late. The image if dead and mostly skeletal merpeople remains was already seared into his brain. He doubted any of the carnage he'd just seen would ever go away. Dry heaves took over his stomach, trying to purge the thoughts and images from his body, but without luck. Sophia held him upright as he clutched his stomach, his body beginning to tremble. His knees grew weak and he sank down into the grassy sand at his feet, glad he hadn't eaten anything all day.

"Take a deep breath, Nick. Deep breath. Come on."

But he didn't think he could. Greg had already escaped one death at the Aquatic Containment Facility. But once they had the information they wanted from him, they would have wanted him dead, simply because of his connections and the man he was going to marry. There was no way he could possibly still be alive.

"We still have a ways to go yet."

"He's not in there. And he can't be out here..."

"You don't know that. Now come on. Lets keep going."

He took the offered hand and she helped him to his feet. He stumbled forward before regaining his balance and following her, almost like a dutiful slave. It scared him that he could feel so hollow, but losing Greg meant that he'd lost everything. Greg was so much a part of him he doubted he'd be able to go on. But then he remembered the small life that would go on because of him and he knew his fiancé wouldn't want him to desert her if he could help it. One love of his life may have departed this world, but he still had one more. And he would not desert her.

Finally looking up to see where they were headed, he had barely enough time to stop before he plowed into Sophia.

"What?"

When she didn't respond he shifted to see what she was staring at.

A primordial scream tore from Nick's throat, dragging his lungs with it, as he ran forward and fell to his knees in the sand. Green scales were peeling and Greg's pale skin was so dry it felt worse than desert sand as Nick reached a trembling hand out to touch him. Tears built in his eyes.

"You stupid idiot," he croaked. "What are you doing out of the water?"

Greg's eyes blinked open and his still form took in a deep, ragged breath. "Contaminated," he whispered, his voice hoarse and barely able to be heard.

A laugh escaped Nick as the tears finally fell. In one quick movement he was clutching Greg to him.

"You idiot... you fucking idiot... I love you so much..."

* * *

In the back of the charger, Nick clung to Greg, too afraid to let go of him. And when they arrived at Freedom Lake it felt like hours had passed. Listening to Greg's raspy lungs dragging air in like a six pack-a-day smoker's each second broke his heart that much more.

Nick wasted no time getting him out of the car and into the water. He carried the dead weight of his fiancé all the way in until his shoulders were nearly covered, ignoring his now soaked clothes. Greg finally began to relax.

A head popped up out of the water, one Nick didn't recognize, and caught him in a steely gaze.

"Please, just save him. Please."

Two hands came up and Nick let him take Greg from his arms.

"Nicky?" Greg mumbled, feeling the loss of his fiance's body heat. His fingers attempted to grasp Nick's shirt, but were too weak to attempt much. "Nicky!"

"It's ok, G. I'm right here."

Nick took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Don't... leave me."

Three words in a pitiful voice brought Nick to tears again. "I have to. But just this once. I promise. Because you have to get better. And I can't go with you for that."

"No..."

"It's going to be ok, G. I'll be right here waiting for you."

"...promise?"

Nick brought his papery hand up and kissed the back. "I promise."

"...love you..." Greg said as the merman holding him began to sink below the lake surface.

"I love you too," Nick whispered.

And then he was gone.

Nick stood there, unmoving, staring at the place where Greg had gone under, oblivious to the wet streaks staining his face.

"Nick..."

He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"It's just me, Nick."

He turned at Warrick's voice, to see his friend standing waist deep in the water, his shirt beginning to soak.

"Everything's ok, we got them."

"I almost lost him."

"But you didn't. And that's what matters. Now, come on. Your arm's bleeding. You should get that looked at."

Nick looked down at his biceps to see the white bandage soaking wet and his blood seeping through. Pain crept up on him, now that he was aware of it, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the pain in his heart from almost losing the love of his life.

"I'm ok."

"No you're not."

"Leave me alone."

"I can't. I'm not about to carry you out of here either... cause I ain't in love with you."

Nick stared at him until the hilarity of what his friend had said hit him and he burst out laughing. It felt good to finally be able to relax, to know that everything was going to be ok. That Greg was going to be ok. Relief flooded his veins like a tidal wave. And Warrick laughed with him.

He followed the city native back to the beach where cops, and a few EMTs were still finishing up from the gun fight earlier. As he sat down on the wet sand someone appeared to recheck his wounds.

Grissom approached then, carefully holding a baby mermaid who's tail had just begun to change into a shade of pale purple. She was whining and Nick was about to suggest that she be put in the water when his boss passed her over to him, as soon as he'd had his arm bandaged up again. A happy gurgle escaped her tiny lips as she was cradled against his chest. Then a squeal sounded as her sparkling blue eyes met his and locked.

"I think she likes you," Sara quipped, then laughed. "And better you than me."

The rest of the close knit group came over to watch them interact.

"She knows," Nick said, his words almost a whisper. "She knows about Calandra."

"What are you going to name this little one?"

"I don't know..." Nick trailed off deep in thought.

"May I ask who's in charge here?"

Everyone turned to see an older woman dressed in a prim and proper brown suit with matching dress shoes.

"That would be me," Brass said. "Captain Brass. What can I do for you?"

"I'm Ms. Gibbons, and I'm with Social Services."

"Social..."

"I assume that's the baby I was told about?" She pointed a sharp finger in Nick's direction.

"Wait... what...? We never contacted..."

Ms. Gibbons pushed past Grissom and shoved a paper in his face when he tried to protest.

"No family? Then she's mine."

Nick held the mermaid tighter in his arms as he stood up.

"Who told you about her?" Brass inserted.

"Someone who was there when she was found."

"It wasn't me." Catherine took a step back, hands raised as if Nick was blaming her.

"You know I wouldn't do that, Nick."

"Me neither."

"It must have been one of the cops on the scene."

"Well, I can't tell you more than that."

"I'll get a list. Find out who it was."

The woman hadn't freaked out yet and Nick was watching her face to see when she'd finally take notice of the gills and tail as the happy child played with his fingers. Then he saw it, and almost grinned at her shock. Her eyes widened and a hand rose to cover her mouth.

"She's going to need lots of water," Grissom sighed. "A lake would be preferable."

But within moments the woman's stern gaze returned, and she held out a baby carrier she'd brought along.

"Give her to me."

"I can't... Griss..." Nick looked to his boss for help.

"You have no choice Nick. This paper is fully legal."

"But no one else will know how to care for her!" Nick felt the heat creeping into his face.

"Maybe you can adopt her. But you need to talk to Greg about it first. And right now this is a legal matter. You have to give her up, Nick."

The CSI looked down at the baby girl and felt another piece of his heart break away.

"Promise me you'll give her lots of water and take good care of her."

"She'll get the same care as all the other orphans. No more. No less."

His gaze fell back to the child, realizing that he hadn't gotten a chance to give her a proper name... an identity... He swallowed, hard, trying to hold his tears back. He knew the care she would get wouldn't be enough, but as Grissom had said, he didn't have any other choice.

"You be good for me, ok?" he whispered, and kissed her forehead.

He let her go and she began to wail, waving her small hands in the air.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry baby girl..."

The woman turned on her heel and stalked back to her car, not even seeming to care that the little mermaid was upset.

He needed to be there to take care of the little girl, but he also needed to be there for Greg. And he couldn't do that when they were in two separate places... how could he watch over them both at the same time? He hugged his knees at the quandary, unsure which way he should go.

"Look, we've got some evidence to process. Nick? You coming?"

"No. I... I can't."

"Nick, you need to at least shower, and eat something. Clean clothes might help too."

Nick thought about it before looking down at his ripped jeans and sopping work boots. He could already feel his toes beginning to prune and he nodded. For the baby girl. For Greg.

* * *

A/N: So guess what? It looks like there's only one more chapter left to go! Can you believe it? Me neither. Anyway, it might be a little while before I post it, but I'm going to do my best to get it written and edited asap because I know you're all eager to know how this ends. Does Nick get to adopt the little girl? And does Greg survive the trauma he's been through? You'll just have to wait and see!

If you want an automatic update for every new story and chapter I post online, then join my wiki! Www(dot)queenoftheuniverse(dot)wetpaint(dot)com. You'll be glad you did!


	8. Chapter 7

CSI: Strength of Soul: Chapter 7

A/N: So, I thought this was going to be the last chapter, but it became so long, that I had to split it up. Besides, I think I found a good enough cliff hanger to keep you interested for Chapter 8 which also doubles as the epilogue. I'm almost done writing it, and I'll get it posted as soon as I possibly can. I know I had intentions of finishing Braden Sanders-Stokes after this, and I do have intentions of working on it, but working full time is a hard job, and not only that, I might be losing my job in two months, so I have to start job hunting again. That'll take up a lot of time. I'll do my best to get work out to you because I know you enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoy writing it. - Peace. Out.

* * *

She'd been sent to live at a foster home that currently had no other children. When Nick entered the front door he was met with the screeching wail of an unhappy child and two irate caretakers unable to get clean for the day.

"Would you please do something about that thing in our bathtub," Mrs. Fiord snarled in greeting, spraying spittle like a feral dog.

"She's not a.... how can you..." Nick stood there, flabbergasted that anyone would dare call such a little girl anything but sweet.

"Connie, please... not now."

He followed the husband upstairs to the bathroom where the baby cried in the tub, all the while doing his best to forget the words Connie had used.

She was on her back, keeping her head above water, her face bright red with tears streaming down her face into the tub of water. Swimming around the mermaid was a small fish.

"What's with the goldfish?"

"Her dinner from last night. Apparently she's not much of an eater."

Nick sighed and knelt beside the tub, setting down the bag he'd brought with him.

"Ms. Gibbons said you were the one who found her... we just thought that maybe you could... you know... look after her... while we shower."

Taking a cup from the counter he scooped the fish out of the water.

"You want me to what?" For a second Nick wasn't sure he'd heard the man correctly over the baby's crying. "You mean one of you can't watch her while the other showers?"

"This is not some fucking fairytale," the wife screamed from the doorway. "I'm not touching that."

Nick scooped the mermaid up into his arms, settling a soothing hand on her chest, and she was instantly quiet. He picked up the bag and headed for the livingroom.

"Don't get that nasty water on my brand new carpet!"

"Just go shower."

He sat down on the couch and brought a bottle out of the bag. She was looking up at him with such imploring eyes, reaching her arms out to him.

"Ba... ba... da!" she said and he smiled down at her, bringing the bottle to her lips.

She began to suck down the formula like she'd been starving her whole life. And maybe she had been.

"How do you do that?" John Fiord sat down across from him.

"Do what?"

"She's been crying since she got here."

"I love her. That's how. And I'm not afraid to touch her."

"My wife... I... I'm sorry. Why don't you have her, if you love her?"

"I'm gonna try. I really am. But her being parentless is a matter for Social Services, unfortunately, and they won't let me foster her until I can adopt her."

"Can I... can I ask something probably personal?" The man leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"Sure."

Nick relaxed, glad to have her back in his arms.

"How can you be so... so used to it? Doesn't that gross you out?"

He cleared his throat before answering. "My significant other isn't human either and we've been together for awhile. When she gets a little bigger she'll be able to transform into an all human side and no one would know she was a mermaid. That's how we met, my partner and I. And I'll tell you this, if it weren't for true love, I just might have gotten scared and ran away. But I didn't. And I know I never will."

"She'll be lucky to have you. The moment she was in your arms she stopped crying. I tried everything last night. We didn't get any sleep. That's why my wife's such a bitch right now."

"Who's watching her for the day?"

"I volunteered."

Nick let out a snort. "I doubt that's what really happened."

"Well, honestly, since I've seen you interact with her, I think I can handle it."

* * *

When Nick left the house he picked up his cell phone and called his boss just to give his mind something to concentrate on. Having to leave her behind in such an uncaring house, ripped a hole through his chest and he had to look down every now and then to make sure he wasn't bleeding.

"Nick, we need you at the station to give a statement."

"But I'm on my way back to the lake..."

"We're about to interview Mr. Delray again and the sooner we can get that done and your statement, the sooner we can get all of them in prison."

How could Nick refute that? However, he also wanted to be at the lake when Greg needed him. And that was one of his top priorities.

"Nick, he's got a whole family looking out for him. He'll be fine."

He hated being torn in two... no, three.

"Alright, I'm coming."

Somewhat thankful for the direction, he changed course and headed to the police station, hoping to get his statement over quickly. Greg needed him and he needed to be there for him.

* * *

"We're losing government funding," Mr. Delray said, already looking sad and heartbroken without his expensive Armani suit on. Orange was not his color.

"Yeah, we knew that."

Brass circled the table where the man sat in the cement colored interrogation room.

Behind the mirror, Nick hugged himself, steeling his mind for the onslaught it was about to receive. Beside him stood the other members of the graveyard CSI team, but none of them had anything to say or any comfort to offer.

"One of your goons told us."

"They're not goons. They're highly trained medical practitioners."

"Highly trained to kill. And dump hundreds of bodies where no one will find them. Why is that?"

"They were dead. Where else could we put them?"

"No they weren't! Remember the little girl we found still alive? Remember the CSI you took because of a fake drug bust? There was no reason to try to kill either of them. We found Greg, by the way, and I'm sure he'll pull through just fine to be able to tell us exactly what happened. Oh, and did I mention that we found your second dump site? You'll never guess what deadly chemicals we found in that lake full of merpeople. You're stuck in here now, and you're not getting out. Ever. You hear me?"

"The experiments just didn't work," the man sighed. "And we were losing our funding because of it."

"So you decided to kill the rest of them so no one else could swoop in, pick up where you'd left off, and win the grand prize. Is that it?"

"No... those that escaped... we were going to continue with them. We figured their offspring, born naturally, might have a greater chance of making it."

"You disgust me. You know that? And you know what else? The government isn't happy that all of your reports lied. When I told them how many hundreds of bodies you must have dumped between those two sites alone, they threw a fit. And now you're definitely not getting your money to continue. We've got all the evidence that'll can you for good. The twenty merpeople you've been telling them you've been working on all these years doesn't come close to the actual reality. The FBI's gonna have fun with you. Never mind the media circus this will create. And I think we both know what bad publicity will do for you."

Brass stormed from the room to meet the team out in the hallway as they filed out of the tiny room. Only then did his keyed up frame relax.

"Good work," Catherine complimented.

"Thanks. I'm just glad we got the scum bag."

"Hey, did we ever figure out who called Social Services?"

"Actually, yes. It was one of the uniforms who showed up to the scene where Nick found her. He thought he was doing the right thing. I talked to him about it, and he knows if that same situation should ever come up again to talk to me first before he calls anyone."

"Good."

Nick stood apart from the group, his arms still wrapped tight around himself, staring off into space. It was all over now. They brought down the Aquatic Containment Facility and now all he had to worry about was Greg's health and the care of the baby.

"Nick?" Warrick sounded concerned.

"I'm tired of this," the words spewed from his mouth before he realized he was saying them. "I hate this. I'm a grown man... not a... baby."

Warrick took him by the shoulder and directed him to an empty bench.

"Nick, you almost lost your fiancé. And I know you want to take care of that little girl right now, but you can't. Therefore, it's only natural for you to feel this way, to feel lost and unsure where you should be and when you should be there. You've got two people to look after in two different places. It's a tough thing to have to handle."

"Since when did you become my therapist? I don't remember signing any forms or anything."

Warrick clapped him on the back as his comment elicited a hearty laugh from the man.

"Since we've been friends, man. Maybe I should have had you sign something. But, really, I thought that's what friends were for?"

Nick sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. We're getting lunch and then I'm going to keep you company at the lake. You mind?"

"I... I don't want a crowd," Nick said after a moment.

"Just me."

"I don't want a babysitter either."

"Did I say anything about that? I just thought you could use the company, that's all. Besides, I got something for you, I thought you might need."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't tell you. It's a surprise."

"Rick... I'm not..."

"You know what, Nick? Just shut up. Ok? You and I are getting lunch and going out to the lake. End of story."

* * *

"Rick, I don't know what you've got planned, but..."

Nick sat on the sand, leaning against a rock after finishing the Chinese take out Warrick had bought. His friend sat across from him, a carefully guarded bag beside him. Now, he chose to hand it over. Nick was skeptical, but he peeked inside anyway.

"A book?"

"Look at it."

He pulled it out. It was a small book, paperback, but thick. And there was a baby on the cover.

"We can't keep calling her 'The Baby'. It's getting old. Fast."

A knot formed in his stomach at the implication.

"But she's not my daughter."

"I know she's with Child Services now, but you'd be the best father she could ever have. And I know you want that position in her life."

"That may be true, but Greg also has a say in it. And if he says no... I have to go with that, as much as I might not want to. I am going to marry him and I loved him first..."

"Stop. You know that doesn't mean you still can't help her. I doubt Greg would say no to adopting her. But if he did, I seriously doubt he'd let her go to some yuppie scum who just want to sell her when she gets old enough."

"Don't talk like that."

"Hey, I'm just talking reality here. How many people in this world have ever seen a real mermaid? You don't think that's going to end up effecting her life somehow?"

Clutching the baby name book, Nick nodded, staring at the sand. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Warrick was right.

* * *

"Nicky... I miss you..." a quiet, halting voice reached Nick at his spot on the beach and was gone like a wisp of smoke on the hot summer breeze.

He jumped to his feet and looked out toward the water, desperate to see his love, but saw nothing. Not even the head of one of Greg's relatives. He sat back down with a heavy sigh. His daughter was still in the hands of a foster mother who hated her and a foster father who was struggling to understand her and keep the peace.

A lump formed in his throat as he remembered his phone conversation from the day before:

"_I want to see her."_

"_I'm sorry, but you can't. Social Services has forbidden you from taking care of her at all while she's here."_

"_What? Why?"_

"_I think they're afraid you'll kidnap her or something."_

This was not what he needed after everything that had already happened.

Warrick was right. He did want to adopt her. He wanted her to be his own child so bad it hurt. But aside from not having heard anything from Social Services about her adoptability, he also didn't have Greg's ok on the matter. He'd spent as much time as he could praying that Greg would make it. That the voice he kept hearing, calling his name over and over and over again really was Greg. He prayed that the little girl would survive her foster home and return to him whole and happy. He prayed that the three of them, Greg, himself, and the girl, could live together as a happy family.

Before she'd come along he would have said that he'd prefer to wait to have children with Greg. To wait until they were both sure their relationship was on solid ground. But now... he knew the truth about life: it comes at you fast. And how you react to it determines your fate.

Opening the baby name book Warrick had gifted him with, he found the section he'd left off on and began reading each of the female names beginning with 'M', where they'd originated in the world, and what they meant. The name he chose for her would be special. Nothing less would be given to his girl.

* * *

"Is it true a government agency was creating mermaids?!"

"Is it true you're looking to adopt a baby mermaid?!"

"Are you dating a merman?!"

Nick was assaulted with questions from tv and newspaper reporters all clamoring around the entrance to the lab, pushing and shoving their way towards him, each determined to have their questions answered first.

"I heard you asked him to marry you. Is that true? What's it like to date a merman?"

Nick stopped and stared at the intensely personal questions being asked.

_Merman Exists! CSI Marries Merman and Adopts Mermaid! _In his mind, he could easily picture several cover options for the _Inquirer_. Each of them had grainy pictures of Greg as a merman or himself holding their baby girl, taken on the sly. None of them were pleasant, making his stomach turn and knot.

"What was it like to find the baby? They say she was buried alive?"

"How did you meet your fiancé?!"

"I heard you fell off a sinking ship and he saved your life!"

"Was it love at first sight? How did you know?"

"What's his name?"

"What's the sex like?"

"Nick, come on," a familiar voice reached out to him through the throng of reporters and he felt a swell of sweet relief flow through him at the sight of Sophia clearing a path for him.

Without a second thought he followed her into the building, glad to leave them behind.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, when the doors were shut behind him and all he could hear was the quiet hum and whir of lab machinery at work.

"I've been waiting for you to arrive. The moment it got out what Delray was up to, the reporters showed up. There's another bunch camped out at the station too." She paused a moment. "Some information may have been blurted out by his goons when they were carted to prison earlier. That's why I waited here for you, so I could try to get you through that ugly crowd. I'm sorry, Nick."

"How much do they know?"

"Did you listen to their questions?"

Nick shook his head, and prayed they didn't know where the lake was. At least they didn't know Greg's name. Yet.

"What did you want to see me about that was so urgent?" Nick asked, entering Grissom's office beside Sophia.

Warrick stood on the other side of the room, a serious expression on his face, arms crossed over his chest.

His boss nodded in the direction of the woman sitting in front of his desk and Nick recognized Ms. Gibbons in her plain black suit and white dress shirt with it's old fashioned lace collar and broach.

"Mr. Stokes," she greeted, if a little stonily.

"Ms. Gibbons."

Right away Nick's heart was hammering as worry filled him to overflowing.

"Have a seat Nick." Grissom motioned to the remaining empty chair and he sat down.

"How's she doing?" he nervously asked. "The baby, I mean. Is she ok?"

He could feel himself beginning to sweat. Did he even want to know the answer?

"The Fiord's, the couple that's fostering her, have complained long and loud enough that they will not keep her. They mentioned you had a proper place to care for her and that you were looking to adopt her officially."

"That's what I tried to tell you before."

"What kind of place?" Grissom asked, taking his glasses off. He looked curious more than anything.

"The lake. I own it."

"You do?"

Everyone in the room seemed surprised, except Sophia, but Ms. Gibbons didn't seem to notice.

"I'm giving you a chance."

But this chance was only because the girl was a mermaid, and not human. Ms. Gibbons was just too proud to say it out loud.

"Congratulations, Nick!"

"Not congratulations yet," Ms. Gibbons corrected Warrick. "We still have to do a background check on you and your partner, whom I have yet to meet. I brought the paperwork with me."

"Then what happens to her until a decision is made?"

"My boss has allowed me to let you foster her... because of the circumstances."

Nick tried to be professional, but he really couldn't stop smiling. A large grin spread across his face and he just knew it was one to rival Greg's.

* * *

When Nick arrived at the Fiord's house to pick up his new foster child he was relieved when the husband answered the door and announced that his wife wasn't home. But he was even more relieved when he was able to walk into the water at Freedom Lake with her in his arms. His heart pounded with nerves and happiness and all he could do was continue to smile.

"You're home baby girl. You're finally home."

Happy squeals floated up to him as if on a breeze connecting only the two of them and when her head ducked under the water bubbles escaped her mouth. She flapped her tail and flailed her arms, spraying Nick with water. He was surprised at first, blinking water from his eyes, but then he was laughing, tickling her sides as she giggled underwater, sending up more bubbles.

"You're really going to take care of her?" A scratchy voice made Nick jump out of his skin.

He'd been concentrating so hard on the child, he hadn't noticed the grey head pop out of the water. Greg's grandmother's eyes were on the little girl, and he couldn't help but notice how much they shined.

"Social Services is looking into my background right now. But I have to talk to Greg about it. And they need to meet him before they can make an official decision. I'm really hoping they say yes."

The one year old grabbed his finger again and waved it around in the water, taking his arm with it.

"I think she likes you."

"You do?"

She swam forward and gently placed the palm of her hand against the baby's forehead. The two stared at each other for what seemed like forever before the older woman broke the gaze and looked up at Nick, meeting his eyes.

"I know so."

He bit his lip as a rush of feelings overwhelmed him. He couldn't begin to describe how he was feeling, but he could have sworn he was flying amongst the clouds just then, oblivious to everything around him except the future daughter he held in his arms.

A particularly violent splash of water hit him in the face, bringing him quickly back to earth.

"Here." Greg's grandmother reached over to the sandy beach and grabbed a piece of rope that had been left there after the fight. She gently tied one end around Nick's left wrist as he watched and then the other around the little girl's.

"Now, let her go."

He looked up at her, fear seizing him.

"She'll be alright. She needs to learn to swim on her own, and she needs the exercise. Besides, you can't keep holding her here forever."

She had a point and since the girl seemed to be itching to get out of his arms he let her go, with a sharp pang of regret should something happen. She swam pretty well, he thought, until she'd reached the end of her line. But she seemed ok with that as she turned onto her back and let herself float up towards the surface.

Not too far away another head popped up, and Nick recognized the man Greg had called his Uncle Jonas. His eyebrows were drawn together and he held a deep frown aimed at his grandmother.

She swam toward him a short distance away and they began signing to each other with rapid words flying back and forth. Not being able to see their signs that well Nick had a hard time deciphering what they were saying, but he got the gist. Jonas didn't seem to understand why Greg's family couldn't take care of the new child. And if he was correct, his grandmother was defending his right to be her father. He was shocked. So shocked all he could do was stare at them.

When Jonas disappeared back to the depths of the water, the woman returned to Nick.

"You just defended me..."

"Greg has been known to do some stupid things in his past. Things he's regretted quite a lot," she said. "I didn't trust his decision to date you and then fall in love with you. I detested his decision to tell you what he really was. But since his return I have seen his thoughts. And I know now that he made the right decision. Through him I was able to see that you really are a good man and you will be good to him. And that's what's important to me."

Nick was floored. "You... you saw his thoughts?" And confused.

"At the containment facility they gave him the same drug or chemical that they gave some of us. But while we've had more time to mold it inside our minds, to bend it to our will, he has not had the time. At times you may notice that he's projecting his thoughts, unconsciously. Right now, he cannot control who sees those thoughts. Eventually he'll be able to."

Nick nodded. Some of the words in Greg's voice that he'd been hearing suddenly made sense, in an odd science fiction kind of way.

"I've heard things..."

"I'm sure you have. He's been in great distress lately, which would cause anyone to call out in their minds to those they love for help, even if they knew that message wouldn't get anywhere. But for Greg, his message was getting out, even if he didn't realize it."

"So... he doesn't know he can do this yet?"

"He does now. Just remember he has no control yet, over what thoughts get projected and to whom."

He nodded again, deep in thought over what she was telling him. "So, he's ok. He's going to be ok?"

"I can't say too much right now. Things are still a little touch and go. But there's hope, Nick. There's always hope."

And she was gone before he'd even realized that she'd used his real name for the first time.

Greg's voice echoed in his head, begging to be heard and listened to, "Nicky..."

* * *

A/N: There is one more chapter left! It will be significantly longer than this one and all the others, but I garuntee you'll like it. Some of you have been asking me for a different pov, and until now I didn't think it would work with this story. But in the next chapter, you'll get what you've been asking for.

Also, if you want automatic updates when I post new chapters or stories, please join my wiki at www(dot)queenoftheuniverse(dot)wetpaint(dot)com. All you have to do is join and you'll get emails when I update anything. Thanks in advance for joining, and I hope you enjoy the final chapter when I get it posted!


	9. Chapter 8

CSI: Strength of Soul: Chapter 8/Epilogue

Nick played with his daughter in the water everyday for the next few days. He knew it was a bad idea to even think she was his for good. He knew well enough it would get him in trouble if he or Greg didn't meet the standards of Social Services. But he couldn't help himself. She was so sweet, and she really did seem to like him a lot. She giggled and playfully splashed him with water whenever he wasn't looking. When she was out of the water he would talk to her about anything that came to mind. She was such a great listener. She stared in the direction of his voice, and stayed quiet while he spoke. And when he was silent, she would try to talk back, perhaps to tell him just how much he meant to her.

"Greg's gonna love you. I know he is. How can he not?"

"Gooo."

Grissom, after just having his bathroom remodeled, had donated his old claw foot bathtub for her to sleep and play in when she couldn't be in the lake. It had been delivered just a few days ago with the help of the rest of the team who'd been excited to see that she'd learned to transform into her human counterpart. Now, she sat in the water, her legs moving around a little, while she looked up at Nick with her big beautiful eyes. He knew she wasn't actually seeing him, but the sounds he made when he moved, when he talked.

"At least... I hope he does. I haven't had a chance to talk to him about this," Nick continued. "I'm sure he will. God, I miss him so much. I really hope he's going to be ok. I want you to meet him. Even if you don't end up staying here. Believe me, I'm fighting hard to keep you. I know you'll be happy out here. Greg's whole family is here. They'll help you learn things as you grow up. Teach you things I couldn't teach you. Things no one else could. But things you need to know."

He gently moved her drying hair out of her face.

"Ba!" she exclaimed.

"That's right. Ba!"

She pointed at him. "Daaaaaa!"

He beamed then, tears filling his eyes and threatening to fall overboard on the suddenly rocky seas.

"I hope so honey. I really do."

To his right, Nick heard a splash and his head whipped around to see Jonas blinking at him. Only moments later Greg's uncle was gone. Nick sighed.

"I just wish I could be there with him. I don't regret that he's not human, but if he was it would make things so much easier. I could be sitting by his bedside right now..."

A bullet shooting up through the water caught his attention next and he stared wide-eyed as a body came gasping up to the surface, gulping down air like he'd been suffocating his entire life. When the water calmed, Nick was on his feet and running into the water.

"Greg! Oh thank God you're alright!"

He threw his arms around his fiancé and held him tight.

Greg said nothing at first, just wrapped his own arms around Nick and breathed in the familiar scent.

It was only when they pulled away from each other that Greg took in the sight of Nick and his many bandages.

"You're hurt."

"It's nothing. I'm fine. You're still alive, and that's all that matters to me."

"Tell me what happened?" He was sure Greg hadn't meant his words to come out as a quiet, shy question, but he still seemed weak, resting in Nick's arms, letting Nick take most of his weight, even in the water. His face was still ashen in color, though his skin had regained most of it's moisture.

"I..." Where could Nick begin? "It's a long story," he sighed.

"Give me the short version then, with the really important details."

And so he told him about saving Calandra and giving her as much love as he could before she left their world. He briefly mentioned the wounds he'd sustained at the ACF, only because he knew they were visible. He failed to mention being drugged and vomiting all over Sophia's shoes. He told him about the fight that had occurred right there on the beach, how he'd saved his grandmother's life but had gotten shot in the meantime. At the mention of each wound Greg's hand instinctively covered it, as if he had healing properties hidden away in his being. The truth of the matter was that he did. At each gentle, almost reverent, touch Nick felt a small bit better just because Greg was there and the feel of his skin reminded Nick of all the good times they'd had together before he was cruelly taken away from him.

Through out the long story, Greg didn't say a word. He was enraptured by Nick's voice, by his eyes, and he'd always vowed to be a good listener to anything Nick had to say.

"What aren't you telling me?" he finally asked. He'd always had a sixth sense when Nick was hiding something from him, most notably when something was wrong.

Now, tears over flowed and rolled down Nick's cheeks.

"I know you wish you could have done more for Calandra, Nicky. But sometimes..."

"You're lucky your mother escaped with you when she did. So lucky..." Nick tried to keep his voice steady as fresh images of the burial site where he'd found his foster child filled his mind. "There was a grave..."

"Grave? What kind of grave, Nicky?" Full concern was in Greg's voice, and in his eyes.

"Another mass grave..."

"Shit. I'm sorry."

"They were going to throw her out like trash, let her suffocate to death..."

"Who?"

And he hadn't imagined things going this way. He was supposed to be the one comforting Greg. Not the other way around.

"Who Nicky? Who were they going to throw out?"

"Her sister, G. Calandra had a twin sister..."

Greg's mouth fell open. He closed it, but it opened again, no words coming out.

"Ba!"

Both heads swivelled toward the beach to see the baby mermaid listening to them.

"Da da!" she exclaimed. And then, "Daaaaaaaa!" her long scream came as her head fell backward and out of sight.

Nick let go of Greg and lunged toward the old bathtub. She was staring up at the sky when he arrived, her legs having transformed back into her tail on their own. Seeing the bewildered look on her face, Nick started to laugh, once he realized she was ok.

He turned back to Greg, smiling. "She's only a year old... still learning how to transform. I think she was standing in the water when her legs switched to her tail on her."

"What's her name?" Greg asked from the water. His face held a mixture of interest and happiness.

Nick wasn't sure why he was surprised by the question, but he was.

"Come on, Nicky, I know you."

He cleared his throat and straightened up with the girl in his arms as he carried her back to the lake to meet Greg.

"Her name's Millie," he finally said when he was beside his fiancé once again.

Greg smiled down at her and tickled her stomach to her great delight. Then he dipped his head and looked up at Nick who was watching her giggle with adoring eyes.

"I never picked you for a guy to grab any random name that sounds good. What does it mean?"

"It's short for Mildred. Which means gentle strength. Her middle name is Grace."

"It's beautiful, Nick. I like it. I like it a lot."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. It's old-fashioned, just like you. And she would have had to be strong to deal with everything that she has, even at her age."

Millie continued to stare up at the sky between the two men as they talked, her eyes unblinking.

"She's not really seeing us, is she?"

Nick shook his head. "That was their reasoning for throwing her out. But she's such a good listener. The media's all over this... us. I don't want her life to be more difficult than it already has been. I won't let you or Millie, or anyone else in our family end up on the cover of the _Enquirer_."

"I know you won't."

Both were silent for a moment until baby Mildred shot water up at them with her little fist.

"Hey! We're going to have to teach you some manners," Greg admonished with a smile.

Breaking his gaze from his girl, Nick looked back up at his man, and really took in the ashen face, and the slightly gaunt features. Greg looked tired. "I forgot to ask... how are you, G? Are you doing ok?"

Greg sighed, resting a hand on the back of Nick's neck. "Still sick, according to Uncle Jonas. But I'm getting better. I just... I was getting restless down there without you. I had to see you."

"Me too."

"Thank you, by the way."

"What for?"

"For saving me so I could spend the rest of my life with you."

"Hey, my pleasure."

Greg leaned his head against Nick's shoulder. "Mmmmm, I'm sure it was, is, and will be."

Nick laughed, cracking a wide grin, and forcing Greg off his shoulder, least he get a bruise on his forehead.

"They really love you, Nick."

"Who?"

"Well, at least some of my family does, I think. I've heard rumors. They say you've been camping out here almost since you brought me here. Is that true?"

"When I wasn't dealing with Social Services, over Millie, yeah. I couldn't leave you..."

"I hope when you make the floor plans for our house you plan for a little girl's room."

"But I... we... are you really ok with this? We've never talked about... about a family... just a house, and protecting the lake... I mean..."

"I know you. And I know you're not gonna give up a sweet little girl like that. I don't want you to. I know we can make this work."

"I was thinking I liked the sound of Mildred Grace Sanders-Stokes. Thank you, G." Relief flooded his veins. Holding the baby in one arm, his other cupped Greg's face as he moved closer for an all too brief kiss.

"I love it... just as much as I love you..." Greg whispered with a smile.

Just then, Millie determined she'd had enough of them not paying enough attention to her. She grabbed Greg's finger in her tiny hand and yanked, hard.

"Hey!"

"Da!"

"She knows, G."

"She's a perceptive little one, isn't she?"

"Yeah. She may be blind, but I think she sees more than most people."

The rope Greg's grandmother had used earlier in the week now had one end tied around the trunk of a thin sapling, the other end dangled in the water, just close enough for Nick to reach without moving away from Greg. He tied it just like she'd showed him and let their daughter go play and explore while he took in the sight of Greg.

"They branded me." He was looking at his wrist, where the tattoo covered his skin like a disease. "I let them brand me." Shame filled his voice and his eyes.

Nick gently took his wrist in his hand and covered the offending ink with his thumb, gently rubbing the skin in a soothing gesture.

"You didn't let them tattoo you, G. You were drugged."

Greg looked up at him then, and his large, expressive eyes meet his. "I want to belong to you. And only you. Will you brand me?" his voice was almost a whisper when he asked the question, as if the shame was growing.

"G..."

"This won't come off. We tried... I took my uncle to a tattoo shop once. Got his removed. But it came back the next day." Greg nodded toward the beach at a rock near the water. Beside it, sat a small black bottle. "They were going to start the ACF over again with just my family. Were going to brand those who hadn't been. Nick... please... use that ink to brand me."

"No, G. I can't do that."

"This is negative energy, says my grandmother. I want something positive. Something to offset it. And the best thing to do that would be something related to you."

"Are you sure? Because not that long ago you said..."

"I know what I said. But that was before they did this to me." And Greg seemed so sure of himself, Nick couldn't disagree.

"Ok. When you're feeling up to it, we'll see what we can do about it. Ok?"

"Thanks, Nicky."

"But in the meantime... I do have something for you. A slightly different kind of brand. I think you'll like it."

"The necklaces? They're finished?"

"You remembered," Nick chuckled. "Yeah, they're finished. Let me go get them."

But when Nick reached into the rock for the two boxes a surprise met him. He pulled out a small bottle of silver polish he was quite sure he hadn't put there. Then he lifted the lid further and a smile licked at the corners of his mouth as he read the scratches in the stone: 'BLESSINGS'.

"_I wish I could ask for your blessing... but I know I can't. I know you won't give it. All the same, I wish I could. For Greg. I would do anything for him. I love him so much. I just wish you could see that."_ His words came back to him and he realized his grandmother must have been listening the whole time without telling him.

His eyes filled again with tears and he heard himself whispering a thank you to her, wherever she was in that moment. Greg watched him curiously from the water and looked like he was about to say something when Nick forced his legs to move, soaked clothes sticking to his lean frame, to walk back over and into the lake. He set the two boxes on a nearby dry rock sticking up from the water.

"What's wrong Nicky?"

"Nothing at all," he sniffed. "I think everything is going to turn out ok with your family."

"How do you know?"

Nick held up the bottle of silver polish. "I didn't put this there."

"Maybe Warrick did. Or Catherine."

"The only person who knew I put the necklaces there for safe keeping was your grandmother."

Greg smiled. "She just needs to see proof that she can trust someone before she does so."

Impatiently, Greg grabbed the first box and opened it. Greeting him was a silver choker with a capital 'G' engraved in a crazy rockstar font, just like Nick had said it would be. But on either side of it were two small rubies, the birth stone of his birth month, July. Taking it out of the box he unclasped it and faced Nick.

"May I?"

Nick nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat. He closed his eyes as he felt the cool silver encase his neck.

"To forever with you," Greg whispered into his ear before moving his mouth to kiss him long, slow, and sweet.

And those simple words alone had Nick feeling weak, gripping Greg's arms to hold himself up. It had been too long since he'd enjoyed the other man's lips on his own. Too long.

Greg let him go, smiling, then picked up the second box and pressed it into Nick's hand.

Nick cleared his throat and his mind and sat down against the shallow bottom of the lake. He leaned against a smooth rock, bringing Greg with him, to lean against his chest. Then he opened the second box and showed Greg the choker. The capital 'N' was surrounded by the birth stones of his birth month, August.

"It's beautiful," Greg said. "They both are."

Nick gave him a kiss on the cheek before he turned the choker over so he could read the inscription on the back: _"To be yours forever has always been my dream. Thank you for fulfilling it. With all my love, Nick." _

Now Greg was choking up. "Nick..."

"It's true."

"I love you so much."

Nick clasped the choker around his neck.

"I love you too."

He took Greg's chin in his fingers and turned him so they could kiss a third time. It really had been too long. He felt like a starving man returning from war and he let Greg know it. "Mmmm... missed you... so much... so much..."

Greg sighed into the kiss, "Me too..."

When they broke apart Greg rested his head back against Nick's shirt, soaking it some more with his wet hair.

After a long silence, Nick spoke, "I'm sorry we couldn't find out who your father was. Your file didn't have much on you."

"They didn't know who I was, only that my mother was pregnant with me when she escaped. I think they tried a DNA test, but you know those things take weeks."

"I know. Still..."

"It's ok. Maybe it's better that I don't know anything at all, rather than have known him before he died. You know? It hurts to think about people I know possibly dying. Like my family. You. I know I had a mother, and I wish sometimes that I could have known her, but it doesn't hurt as much as it could. Especially when I've got you and Millie now. You make up for it. You know... I saw you at the ACF... I know you were there a second time to visit me."

"You knew?"

"I wanted to say something, but I just couldn't. Somehow, though, I knew it was you, even though it didn't entirely register in my brain. My sixth sense told me I guess."

"G, you did say something."

"I did? What?"

"You asked for water. It confused me because you were already in water," Nick admitted.

"It was contaminated, like that lake, but not to kill me. It helped the drugs in my system to keep me somewhat sedated, I think."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything."

"You managed to save the day in the end so it's ok. I didn't mean to tell them where the lake is."

"I know. Your grandmother told me about the drugs that make you project your thoughts."

"They threatened your life first. But I didn't give in. They thought there was something between you and me when you came to visit with the team, but I didn't let on. Until later, when it was too late."

"It's ok, G. It's all over now, so it doesn't matter. None of it matters anymore."

"I remember... just before they dumped me in that lake... I think the drug had just started to wear off... the one that kept my limbs numb and my mind unfocused. I remember one of them said 'Have a good swim for the rest of your short life, now that we know where your family is.'" Greg paused, staring off into the distance before he spoke again, his voice halting, "There were dead bodies... Nick... dead... all of them... on the bottom."

"I know. I saw them." Nick said, caressing his arm to soothe him while holding him close.

"I got out as soon as I could. Beached myself. Like a whale. Knew it was safer than the water. Knew you'd find me eventually."

"I'm just glad I did find you in time. You have no idea..."

"I probably do," Greg mumbled, turning his face into the crook of Nick's neck, his eyelids fluttering closed for a moment.

Millie was already asleep on the shallow floor of the lake next to them.

"Just close your eyes, G. Get some sleep."

"You're not making me go back?" Greg sleepily murmured.

"No, babe. Not this time." Nick tightened his arms around his lover, as Greg drifted away on a cloud.

For awhile Nick enjoyed watching him breathe, but a sharp imagine shoved into his mind broke the calm he'd been feeling.

_A merman in human form wears a patch over his heart and one over his neck. I'm not in the same room the team saw me in. Behind the merman, a row of computers sits, graphs showing his constant heartbeat and breathing rhythm among other things. I'm watching what's going on, my head above the water in my tank so I can hear as well as see. He's fighting a human man, but he's sweating so bad I can smell it all the way over here. I can see how hard he's breathing. He doesn't have the strength or the stamina to see this fight through. _

At first he thought Greg was dreaming, but his breathing was still calm. This wasn't a nightmare. Then he remembered that Greg could project his thoughts. Nick recognized the Aquatic Containment Facility tanks from Greg's point of view, and let Greg's thoughts continue to project to him, knowing full well he'd have to be strong to take whatever they did to him there.

_The human swings his right leg around, low to the ground, and knocks the merman off his feet. He's gasping for breath, trying to get to his feet again. The fall wasn't a hard one, but the human goes easy on him, helps him to his feet. _

_The merman is too dehydrated, too weak. Another man, in a perfectly pressed Armani suit arrives just as he collapses. A doctor of some sort in a lab coat jogs over from the computer setup and helps the human fighter pick up the merman and together they toss him into a tank of water. _

"_They still need too much water to be of any use as soldiers," says the man in the suit. _

_The fighter has already disappeared with a towel around his neck. _

"_It's going to take too long to solve that problem," says the doctor._

"_But think of the edge we'd have over the rest of the world if our soldiers could swim to another country and..."_

"_Didn't you hear me?! It's taking too long and we don't have the money."_

"_Ok, fine. How're the twins?"_

"_163330 went blind, same as the others on that chemical."_

"_Shit."_

"_She's yesterday's news. The moment she went blind I stopped paying her any attention. The real breadwinner in the family is her twin. 163331 seems able to read minds really well so far."_

"_How can you tell?"_

"_She holds my hand and actually looks terrified when I imagine the pit of death her sister's going into. She actually started to cry the last time we did it."_

_Mr. Armani beamed. "That's fantastic. Good news. I'm glad to hear something good is coming from this lab. Finally. Now, what about this one over here?" he points in my direction._

"_We gave him the Projecting Serum. It shouldn't be too long now before it starts to work."_

"_Good. He has information on others who escaped and I want to know what it is."_

_The two walk over and study me closely. Too close for comfort. It's as if they can see every pore on my skin as clear as if it were under a microscope in front of their noses. I wonder what else they can see._

"_He doesn't have his number tattooed on his arm yet. Nor has be been drugged like the others. I don't want him to know things about this place he shouldn't. Especially with the connections he's got in law enforcement."_

"_I was just waiting on you. What number do you want to give him?"_

"_The latest available for now. If we can discover his true identity, then we'll change it. He's about the right height and possible age to have been born from one of our escaped pregnant girls. So, drug him, tattoo him, and move him to the holding room with a lock on his tank. We certainly don't want our prized possession to escape, now do we?"_

"_No sir."_

_A door opens at the other end of the room and, as if on cue, the two creepy gloved men enter, walking in line together, their heads forward and eyes piercing the air._

"_No... no... please..." I start to panic. I know what happens when these two come into a room. They hurt me before, in the police station. They hurt others since I've been here. I was forced to bare witness to it all._

_I move as far away from the two gloved men as I can. But my tank doesn't offer much room to move and I'm trapped as they stand on either side of me now, large syringes in their hands._

"_Please... God... no..."_

_They grab me at the same time, their eyes now piercing me simultaneously along with their needles. _

_A loud scream rents the air and it takes a moment for me to realize it's coming from my own mouth. I'm crying, tears splashing into the water, and all I can think about is Nick. All I want is to be in his comforting arms. He can take this pain away. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!_

_They don't look strong, but they're lifting me up out of the water as I begin to whimper uncontrollably. I try to transform, to run away, but I can't. I just can't. _

_As I struggle, sobs wracking my body, they're strapping me down onto a metal table. It's cold. Not Nick's warm arms. I don't want to be here! Please! Someone get me out of here! I see the jar of ink and the needle and now I'm truly freaking out. Please, Nicky!_

_I'm screaming again, screaming in pain, unsure at all what I'm saying, if anything. The two gloved men don't crack a smile, but Mr. Armani is grinning. _

"_I thought you two had a connection earlier from what I saw on the surveillance tape. Looks like I was right."_

_And now they know about us. I just put Nick in harms way. Please be ok, Nicky. Please be safe._

_The needle digs deep into my skin, even as I continue to struggle, and plants a number there that will never go away. I've been branded and not even by the one I love._

_When they finish with me, I'm taken to a new room with a single tank too small to move in, similar to the one I'd just left. The lock on the lid is secure and checked twice before I'm left alone. Except I'm not alone. All around me are other merpeople, floating, listless in their own private tanks. _

_As I begin to lose feeling in my limbs and my face, tears of shame are floating away on some unseen current at what I just allowed them to do to me._

When the image finally turned black, Nick found himself holding Greg tighter, placing gentle kisses on his temple, in his hair.

"I love you G. I'm so sorry I let that happen to you. I'm so sorry... They won't ever hurt you again. I promise."

* * *

The book was old, so old the leather had started to crack from too much use. But the librarian in the rare books department had still been more than happy to pull it off the shelf in the cool room and bring it out to him.

Flipping the cover open Nick read the title page: '_A History of Merpeople_' The hand drawn picture of a head popping out of ocean waves just below the title matched that of the embossed cover, which had once been inlaid with flakes of gold.

Now, he carefully skimmed each page until he came to the earliest drawing of a mermaid. She'd been found on a cave wall, her tail a bright red, and her hair a soft golden brown against the ancient rock. She was beautiful. In a few years his... no their, daughter would be that grown up. She was already that beautiful.

Their daughter... the thought scared him as much as it thrilled him. He had the papers at home, safely tucked away in a locked, fire-proof box, but he knew he'd be taking them out often just to prove to himself they were real.

"Sir? Are you ok?" The librarian had returned.

"Yeah, yes..." he was surprised when his voice cracked. "I'm sorry. It's just... I became a father yesterday, a real father... and she's so beautiful..."

"Well, congratulations! But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home with your family?"

"I'm here for them."

Swallowing his emotions, he turned the page of the old tome to find exactly what he'd been looking for...

* * *

Nick's hands trembled when he entered the shop, but calmed when he saw him. Greg was sitting as still as possible, head bent forward, his left arm out, palm up, while a man worked on his skin, painting it black.

"What can I do for you?"

Nick approached the counter, and, knowing this was the right thing to do, showed the artist the piece of paper in his hand.

"Wow. This looks old," the tattoo artist, covered in his friend's work, commented, taking in the sculpted arms and flat chest of the cave drawing. "But seriously, a merman? Why not a babe?"

His customer turned and pointed at the bottle of ink being used on his fiancé. "I want it done in the same ink he's using."

The head of gentle curls looked up upon finally hearing the familiar voice.

"_To be yours forever has always been my dream. Thank you for fulfilling it. With all my love, Nick." _His immortal words now spiraled around Greg's wrist like a coiled bracelet.

"Well, alright then. Have a seat and we'll get this show started."

"Nick?" Greg's eyes grew wide as Nick sat down beside him with a deep grin and extended his left arm for sterilizing.

"Hi."

* * *

_We can sail, we can sail... with the Orinoco flow_

_We can reach, we can beach on the shores of Tripoli_

_We can reach, we can beach far beyond the Yellow Sea_

_We can sail, we can sail_

_Sail away, sail away, sail away..._

_-Orinoco Flow_ Enya

The End


End file.
